ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 21–22 June; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 21 June. The Scottish Minister for Environment and Rural Affairs was also present.
	The Council held a public debate following the Commission's presentation of an Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming. We joined other Ministers in welcoming the Plan while stressing that expansion of the organic sector would have to be driven by consumer demand. The UK would play its part in further discussion but would want to ensure that requirements laid on the organic sector were economically realistic.
	The Commission updated the Council on continuing WTO negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda and on its negotiations for a trade agreement with the Mercosur countries. We endorsed the efforts of the Commission to work for progress on both fronts and, on the WTO, emphasised the value of securing progress before the summer break. I re-iterated the benefits that a Doha deal could bring to the world economy and especially to developing countries.
	The German Minister presented a memorandum to the Council on renewable resources, following a conference held last month in Bonn, which the Secretary of State had attended. Delegations welcomed the German paper, noting the growing importance of renewables. The Commission said it would submit a biomass plan by the end of 2005.
	The Council had a brief exchange of views on the Commission's report on the operation of the beef labelling regulations. There was general agreement that the regulations had done much to support consumer confidence in beef and that major changes are not needed. Further technical discussion will take place at official level.
	The Commission presented a paper setting out proposals for promoting more environmentally friendly fishing methods and a timetable for introducing new measures. This was the product of previous discussions between member states. The proposals had received wide support, including from the UK. We will continue to seek technical solutions and to support research directed at methods which respect the environment and contribute to a sustainable fishing industry.
	The Council agreed the ceilings for the maximum fishing effort of member states in waters to the west of Britain (principally ICES Areas VI and VII). This was the final element of the arrangements agreed by the Council in October 2003, which are based on an up-dated reference period of 1998–2002 reflecting actual fishing effort over that period. We were pleased that the final text provided for consistency of approach and transparency in the calculations.
	The Commission sought initial views on proposals for the establishment of a Community Fisheries Control Agency. There was general agreement that the concept was commendable if it improved consistency of enforcement. We indicated that we would be pleased to participate in discussions about the detail and registered that we believed that the Agency should complement rather than substitute the enforcement responsibilities of member states.
	The Commission reported on continuing negotiations with trading partners over the rice tariff and with Russia on its requirements for certificates covering animal and animal product imports.

Cetacean By-catches

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will ensure that the UK's response to the European Commission's Cetacean Bycatch strategy proposes stricter measures than the EU proposals.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 18 June 2004
	The European Commission has not published a Cetacean Bycatch strategy.
	I am currently considering the implementation of the UK Small Cetacean Bycatch response strategy in the light of the recently adopted Council Regulation and whether further, stricter, measures are necessary.

Dairy Cows

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the average lactations of dairy cows during their productive lifetime for each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Alun Michael: Defra has made no estimate of the average lactations of dairy cows during their productive lifetime. However, according to data provided to the Milk Development Council by National Milk Records (who cover approximately 50 per cent. of the national herd) on average dairy cows have three lactations, each of which lasts for an average of 312 days.

Fish Farms

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to minimise pollution from fish farms.

Ben Bradshaw: Risks of pollution from aquaculture are being addressed on a number of fronts through initiatives such as the Marine Stewardship report "Safeguarding our Seas" and the Scottish Executive's long-term strategic framework for Scottish Aquaculture.
	The Government's efforts focus on scientific research on the carrying capacity of aquaculture waters (and the possible relocation of sites where this is exceeded and relocation is practicable), the development of cost-effective ways of reducing output of polluting effluent, and research to determine parameters for the optimal management of stocking density of farmed salmon and trout.
	The Environment Agency has measures in place to regulate the use of water and limit the discharge of chemicals from fish farms in England and Wales.

Flora and Fauna Extinctions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2004, Official Report, column 440W, to the hon. Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson), on flora and fauna extinctions, if she will list the species of plants and animals believed to have become extinct within the last 25 years.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 9 June 2004, Official Report, column 440W, on flora and fauna extinctions, if she will list the species that have become extinct.

Ben Bradshaw: From the available information the following lists have been compiled of species lost since 1979:
	Vascular Plants (as given in the Vascular Plants Red Data Book 1999)
	Square brackets around the year of last record (column 2) denote that the species has since been reintroduced.
	
		
			   Species Year of last record in the wild in GB   Habitat   Comments 
		
		
			 Agrostemma githago (1)1970s Arable Lost through agricultural intensification; now only casual, or deliberately planted 
			 Crepis foetida [1980] Coastal habitats Reintroduced to Dungeness 
			 Galeopsis segetum (1)1980s Arable Now perhaps only a rare casual 
			 Neotinea maculata (1)1986 Dune/heath Isle of Man only, but now perhaps extinct 
			 Otanthus maritimus (1)1970s Dunes, shingle Last known in GB in Cornwall and Sussex; reason for loss of this predominantly  Mediterranean species perhaps climate change 
		
	
	(1) Exact year not known.
	Birds
	The Red-backed Shrike Lanius colluho is the only bird species that can be considered to have gone extinct from the UK in the last 25 years. It was a regular breeder up until about 20 years ago. Since then it has continued to visit the UK—but without breeding success. The reasons for it's decline are not clear—both habitat loss (it prefers open meadow habitats) and climate change have been suggested.
	Mammals
	Mouse-eared bat Myotis myotis is believed to be extinct. It was last recorded in 1991, although a vagrant was recorded in 2002.
	Amphibians
	Pool frog, Rana lessonae is believed to be extinct. The last known male (ex Norfolk) died in captivity in 1999—attempts to mate this individual with females from Sweden failed.
	Fish
	Burbot Lota lota is believed to be extinct. It was last recorded in 1972 from the Great Ouse system, and was probably lost due to habitat change and pollution.
	Dates of "extinction" for well-studied invertebrates in Britain
	The dates that these species were last seen in Britain are given in the table. In some cases these are approximate, due to lack of precise data.
	
		
			 Species name Binomial Approximate last date 
		
		
			 Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths) 
			 Butterflies   
			 Large Blue Maculinea arion 1979 
			 Moths   
			 Viper's Bugloss Hadena irregularis 1977 
			 Cudweed shark Cucullia gnaphalii ssp.  occidentalis Boursin 1979 
			 Essex Emerald Thetida smaragdaria 1991 —extinct in the wild 
			 Anemone 
			 Ivell's sea anemone Edwardsia ivelli Possibly 1983

Foot and Mouth

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the decision was made to consider vaccination in the event of a future outbreak of foot and mouth disease; and for what reason the decision was taken.

Ben Bradshaw: Following the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), an independent inquiry by the Royal Society recommended that "emergency vaccination should now be considered as part of the control strategy from the start of any outbreak of FMD". The Government accepted this recommendation and has since been working to ensure emergency vaccination is a fully viable disease control strategy in the event of a future outbreak.

GM Crops

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to commission further independent testing of GM crops.

Elliot Morley: The Government are committed to continuing their funding of research to underpin risk assessment of genetically modified organisms, and we will commission individual research projects as necessary. Details of current and planned projects are published on the Defra website. However, it is for those developing GM crop plants to provide sufficient evidence of the safety of individual GM events as part of the dossier supporting an application for consent to market a GM crop.
	The devolved Administrations have responsibility for tests and trials of GM crops carried out in Scotland and Wales.

Pest Control

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her policy on allowing general licences to shoot pests; and what plans she has to amend this in connection with wild birds.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 23 June 2004
	Within Great Britain, all wild birds are protected under section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which generally prohibits the killing, injuring or taking of any wild bird. However, section 16 of the Act sets out the categories under which the Department can issue derogation licences in order to control certain necessary conduct, which would otherwise be prohibited.
	Defra is conducting a pre-consultation exercise on the general licences that allow the killing or taking of certain birds. It is important that our licences remain robust; fit for purpose, and accord with the "EC Wild Birds Directive" 1 .
	We believe that the most effective method of licensing in certain circumstances is via general licences. These licences allow persons wishing to undertake action to do so immediately where there is no other satisfactory alternative and where action is imperative. The consultation paper can be viewed at the Defra website www.defra.gov.uk . The consultation period is due to end on the 14 July, after which the licences will be reviewed taking into account the consultation responses.
	1 Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the Conservation of Wild Birds.

Rod Licences

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many rod licences were granted, broken down by age category, in each of the last 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table sets out the total numbers of angling rod licences issued in England and Wales over the last 10 years, giving the breakdown by age groups for each year since 1999–2000. This breakdown is not available for years prior to 1999–2000.
	
		
			  12–16 17–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+ Total 
		
		
			 1994–95 — — — — — — — 1,003,381 
			 1995–96 — — — — — — — 1,000,646 
			 1996–97 — — — — — — — 1,171,914 
			 1997–98 — — — — — — — 1,196,417 
			 1998–99 — — — — — — — 1,143,883 
			 1999–2000 9,079 180,539 175,406 240,815 213,837 159,657 140,130 1,119,463 
			 2000–01 26,661 160,263 170,783 231,911 205,834 153,561 129,731 1,078,744 
			 2001–02 65,667 158,071 186,824 243,236 209,117 155,211 126,527 1,144,653 
			 2002–03 101,456 144,645 194,140 252,434 213,789 158,395 123,556 1,188,415 
			 2003–04 131,130 140,701 208,202 266,110 223,179 167,398 124,395 1,261,115

HEALTH

Brain Tumours

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to increase the geographical spread of facilities to treat brain tumour patients;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of specialised professional support for brain tumour patients.

Melanie Johnson: The Department has commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to develop service guidance on tumours of the brain and central nervous system for use in the national health service in England and Wales. The guidance will address services for the diagnosis, staging and treatment, follow up, rehabilitation and specific elements of supportive and palliative care that meet the particular needs of patients with brain and central nervous system tumours and of their families and carers. The guidance will support the planning, organisation and commissioning of services to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients. The guidance will specifically address the role of multi-disciplinary teams in the patient pathway. NICE expects to publish the guidance in August 2005.
	It is for local health communities to decide how best to provide services for their local populations.

Brain Tumours

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) emotional, (b) practical and (c) financial support is provided by the Government for (i) those suffering from brain tumours and (ii) family carers of brain tumour patients.

Melanie Johnson: Support for patients with cancer—of whatever type—and their carers is provided through the relevant services in the national health service and through the increased funding that the Government has invested in the service, including that committed in the NHS cancer plan.
	The Department has commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to develop service guidance on tumours of the brain and central nervous system for use in the NHS in England and Wales. The guidance will address services for the diagnosis, staging and treatment, follow up, rehabilitation, specific elements of supportive and palliative care that meet the particular needs of patients with brain and central nervous system tumours and of their families and carers and communication and information resources. NICE expect to publish the guidance in August 2005.
	Additionally, the recently published guidance from NICE on improving supportive and palliative care for adults with cancer will benefit all patients with cancer, including those with brain tumours.
	Benefits for patients with cancer are provided through the Department for Work and Pensions. The Department goes to considerable lengths to publicise available benefits and is engaged in a modernisation programme to improve delivery of benefits, such as disability living allowance and attendance allowance, including the introduction of shorter and more accessible claim forms.
	The Department makes grants to voluntary organisations to provide information and support to carers. Carers are entitled to an assessment to determine their needs as carers and eligibility for support including short-term breaks. To support carers financially, the carers allowance was introduced in 2001.

Cannabis

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action has been taken on the implications of cannabis smoking for respiratory health since the publication of the British Lung Foundation report, A Smoking Gun.

Melanie Johnson: The harms caused by cannabis smoking are kept under expert review. Since the British Lung Foundation report the Department has commissioned and published an update of "Dangerousness of Drugs" (2003), an independent expert review of the harms caused by drugs of misuse, which addresses the risks associated with smoking. In addition, the FRANK campaign and website, "talktofrank", have raised awareness of these risks, increasing knowledge among young people of the illegality of cannabis use and the fact that it is a harmful substance.
	The Department has also set up an expert working group made up of members of the scientific committee on tobacco and health and the advisory council on the misuse of drugs to consider the issues of cannabis and tobacco smoking, and has commissioned research into the smoke produced by these substances, on the advice of this group, with results due later this year.

Consultants

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of consultants who had expressed an interest in moving onto the new consultants contract had (a) moved onto the new contract by 30 April and (b) received a final job plan offer.

John Hutton: Data collected from strategic health authorities (SHAs) shows that, of those consultants who had given a formal commitment to the new contract by 31 October 2003, 19 per cent. had agreed a job plan and signed up to the new contract and a further 40 per cent. had received final job plan offers by 30 April 2004.
	The most recent data, supplied at 4 June by SHAs, suggests that 79 per cent. of consultants who expressed an interest in the contract have had final job plan offers, including 35 per cent. who have now accepted the contract.

Contraceptive Implants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has carried out into the possible side-effects of use of contraceptive implants by teenage girls.

Melanie Johnson: The contraceptive implant currently available in the United Kingdom is Implanon, a progestagen-only implant that provides contraception for a period of three years. Implanon is a prescription-only medicine which may be recommended for women of any age but which is most commonly used by older women.
	Studies carried out by the marketing authorisation holder for Implanon were evaluated at the time of licensing and the product information states that safety and efficacy has been established in women between the ages of 18 and 40 years. The limited available data do not suggest that the safety profile of Implanon is different in women under the age of 18 years. However, no formal research has been carried out and the judgement on the balance of risks and benefits in women under 18 is the responsibility of the prescribing physician.
	Health care professionals are encouraged to discuss the potential side effects with everyone who seeks treatment. In addition, prescribers are expected to satisfy themselves that all women understand the risks and benefits of using Implanon and that it is in their best interests to receive the treatment.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will continue to monitor the safety of Implanon and will review any potential safety issues in the light of any new evidence which may emerge.

Dispensing Opticians

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to provide support for dispensing opticians required to undertake continuing education;
	(2)  what plans he has officially to recognise dispensing opticians as healthcare professionals.

Rosie Winterton: Dispensing opticians are recognised as health care professionals and are regulated under the Opticians Act.
	Currently there is no provision for financial support towards continuing education and training for dispensing opticians as they do not contract with the national health service to provide general ophthalmic services and therefore fall outside the NHS arrangements for ophthalmic services.
	The Department is due shortly to begin a review of the general ophthalmic services and the position of dispensing opticians will be considered as part of that review.

Emergency Planning

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 24 May 2004, Official Report, column 1378W, on emergency planning, when the well-developed major incident plans were last monitored by the Department; what form the tests took; and what steps he will take to satisfy himself that the major incident plans will work in a serious emergency, with particular reference to a terrorist attack.

John Hutton: Each strategic health authority (SHA) in England is responsible for the routine and regular assessment of the emergency preparedness plans of national health service organisations in its area. Health organisations are themselves required to conduct internal tests and reviews and to include a statement of preparedness in their annual reports.
	In addition to routine feedback, the Department conducted specific national assessments of emergency preparedness via the SHAs in January 2003 and again at the end of that year as part of a wider regional capabilities mapping exercise.
	Each NHS organisation can call upon specialist advice and support from the Health Protection Agency and is expected take part in external multi agency exercises and report results to its SHA. Although based on an all-hazards approach, national guidance requires that emergency preparedness plans make specific provision for responding to terrorist threats.

NHS Agencies

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS agencies whose future he is reviewing; and what (a) the date of the agency's establishment and (b) total number of staff is in each case.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 7 June 2004
	The data for the national health service bodies concerned is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Name of body Date established Number of staff 1 
		
		
			 Commission for Social Care Inspection 1 April 2004 2,622 
			 Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (The Health-care Commission) 1 April 2004 456 
			 Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health 1 January 2003 123 
			 Counter Fraud and Security Management Service 1 January 2003 284 
			 Council for the Regulation of Health Care Professionals 1 April 2003 10 
			 Dental Practice Board 1948 333 
			 Dental Vocational Training Authority 1 October 1993 2.5 
			 Family Health Services Appeal Authority 1 April 1995 12 
			 General Social Care Council 1 October 2001 130 
			 Health Development Agency 1 January 2000 122.6 
			 Health Protection Agency 1 April 2003 2,628 
			 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority 1 August 1991 105 
			 Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts 5 January 2004 37 
			 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 1 April 2003 806 
			 Mental Health Act Commission 1983 38 
			 NHS Appointments Commission 1 April 2001 39 
			 NHS Direct 1 April 2004 3,000 
			 NHS Estates 1 April 1991 180.8 
			 NHS Logistics 1 April 2000 1,452 
			 NHS Information Authority 1 April 1999 1,034 
			 NHS Litigation Authority 20 November 1995 184.4 
			 NHS Pensions Agency 20 November 1992 369 
			 NHS Professionals 1 January 2004 671 
			 NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency 1 January 2000 336 
			 NHSU 1 December 2003 270 
			 National Biological Standards Board 1976 305 
			 National Blood Authority 1993 5,378 
			 National Institute for Clinical Excellence 1 April 1999 92 
			 National Clinical Assessment Authority 1 April 2001 87.7 
			 National Patient Safety Agency 2 July 2001 169.2 
			 National Radiological Protection Board 1 October 1970 338 
			 National Treatment Agency for Drugs 1 April 2001 84 
			 Postgraduate Medical Education Training Board 1 October 2003 27 
			 Prescription Pricing Authority 1977 2,260 
			 Public Health Laboratory Service (3)1977 62.6 
			 UK Transplant 1 July 2000 132 
		
	
	(2) Staff figures are given in whole-time equivalents as at 1 April 2004.
	(3) The Public Health Laboratory Service existed in an earlier form from the late 1940s.
	Note:
	Bodies which have been abolished since the Department's review of its arm's length bodies was announced are not shown.

NHS Budgets

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget was for (a) the NHS in England and (b) NHS maternity services in England in each year since 1992.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department records historic data on expenditure and not on annual budgets. It is this data that is shown in the tables.
	
		National health service total expenditure for England -- £ billion
		
			  Net NHS expenditure (Outturn) 
		
		
			 Cash 1  
			 1991–92 25.4 
			 1992–93 28.0 
			 1993–94 28.9 
			 1994–95 30.6 
			 1995–96 32.0 
			 1996–97 33.0 
			 1997–98 34.7 
			 1998–99 36.6 
			 1999–2000 39.9 
			   
			 RB Stage 1 2  
			 1999–2000 40.2 
			 2000–01 43.9 
			 2001–02 49.0 
			 2002–03 54.0 
		
	
	(4) Expenditure pre 1999–2000 is on a cash basis.
	(5) Expenditure figures from 1999–2000 to 2002–03 are on a stage 1 resource budgeting basis (and consistent with figures to be published in table 3.4a of Departmental Report 2004).
	Note:
	Figures are not comparable over the whole period.
	
		Hospital and community health services expenditure on maternity services—England, 1991–92 to 2002–03
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1991–92 977,208,570 
			 1992–93 1,011,857,187 
			 1993–94 1,007,065,252 
			 1994–95 1,006,545,942 
			 1995–96 1,012,530,343 
			 1996–97 1,048,650,541 
			 1997–98 1,053,832,887 
			 1998–99 1,089,179,652 
			 1999–2000 1,153,864,597 
			 2000–01 1,192,362,905 
			 2001–02 1,270,961,420 
			 2002–03 1,383,835,950 
		
	
	Sources:
	1. Annual financial returns of district and regional health authorities and the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals, 1991–92 to 1995–96.
	2. Annual financial returns of NHS trusts, 1991–92 to 2002–03.
	3. Annual financial returns of primary care trusts, 2000–01 to 2002–03.

NHS Staff (Manchester, Central)

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS (a) therapists and (b) scientists were located in Manchester, Central in each year since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: The information is shown in the table.
	
		National health service hospital and community health services: Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff in the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority(6) (SHA) and each specified organisation as at 30 September each specified year -- Headcount
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Greater Manchester SHA(6) 5,701 5,796 5,956 6,248 6,589 7,029 7,170 
			 Of which:
			 Manchester Health Authority 2,040 2,045 2,096 2,160 2,432 n/a n/a 
			 Central Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust 673 668 705 730 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Manchester Children's Hospitals NHS Trust 187 189 191 211 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Central Manchester Primary Care Trust n/a n/a n/a n/a 116 152 152 
			 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University  Hospitals NHS Trust n/a n/a n/a n/a 923 1,045 1,115 
		
	
	n/a=not applicable.
	(6) Figures for Greater Manchester SHA are based on the 2002 organisational structure.
	Source:
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Primary Care Trusts

David Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the merging of management organisations of primary care trusts is under consideration; and what guidelines NHS strategic health authorities are required to follow with regard to (a) preparing and presenting a business case, (b) preparing and presenting a statement of quantifiable benefits, (c) analysing human and financial resources, (d) undertaking formal public consultations and (e) tailoring structural changes to avoid the need for a statutory instrument.

John Hutton: holding answer 24 June 2004
	There are currently no plans to issue departmental guidelines for the merging of management resources within primary care trusts (PCTs). If it makes sense locally to share management resources across PCTs, this is a decision for the local strategic health authority in discussion with its PCTs.

Primary Care Trusts

David Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on proposals to merge the management organisations of adjacent primary care trusts that would result in organisations responsible for a population of more than 500,000.

John Hutton: holding answer 24 June 2004
	"The New NHS", published in 1997, set out a vision for the national health service and for primary care trusts (PCTs) as a key driver to improve health and make the NHS modern and dependable.
	The function of PCTs is to meet local health care needs by making local decisions that respond to the community. This presents enormous opportunity to do things differently, which may include the sharing of management resources. There is currently no national policy on this. However, the overriding principle is that any sharing of management resources must continue to meet the needs of the local people living within the community.

Sexual Health

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether sexual health will be included in the 2005 to 2008 planning and priorities framework.

Melanie Johnson: The 2005–08 planning and priorities framework is due to be published in the summer.

University College Hospital (Consultative Board)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the level of public participation in elections to the Consultative Board of University College Hospital since the announcement that it has become a foundation hospital.

John Hutton: The independent regulator of national health service foundation trusts has placed University College London Hospitals NHS Trust in the list of wave 1 applications for 1 July authorisation. The trust has informed the Department that 32 per cent. of the 15,100 public and patient members participated in the elections earlier this year for the 17 public/patients' positions on the trust's members' council (board of governors). The trust's membership is increasing and has risen to over 23,000.

Waiting Lists

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are on hospital waiting lists in (a) Hull and (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Melanie Johnson: As at 31 March 2004, 8,682 patients were waiting for elective inpatient admission at the Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals National Health Service Trust. The figure for 31 August 2003 was 10,349.
	Source
	Department of Health.

PRIME MINISTER

Intelligence and Security Committee

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to lay the Intelligence and Security Committee's Annual Report for 2003–04 before Parliament.

Tony Blair: I am grateful to the Intelligence and Security Committee for their valuable work and their latest annual report. Following consultation with the Intelligence and Security Committee over matters that could not be published without prejudicing the discharge of the function and operation of the intelligence and security agencies, I have laid the report before the House today. Copies will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The Government will respond formally to the report shortly.

United States

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  for what reason the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has not been allocated a place on the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Relations with the USA;
	(2)  for what reasons it was deemed necessary to establish the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Relations with the USA; and on what date it was established;
	(3)  whether the Terms of Reference of the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Relations with the USA allow representatives of (a) the US Administration and (b) the US security services to attend;
	(4)  for what reason he has decided not to allocate himself a place on the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Relations with the USA.

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Prime Minister what the terms of reference are of the DOP (UK/US) ministerial sub-committee on relations with the United States of America; and what its objectives are.

Tony Blair: On 27 May 2004, Official Report, column 1731W, I announced the current list of Cabinet Committees and sub-committees, their membership and terms of reference including the Ministerial Sub-Committee on relations with the United States of America. Copies are available in the Library of the House. The list is also available on the Cabinet Office website at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk.
	Other Ministers and officials can be invited to attend the Ministerial Sub-Committee on relations with the United States of America when necessary. This does not include members of the US Administration or US security services.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Devolution

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Advocate-General what devolution issues have been raised with her since 25 May.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Ann McKechin).

SCOTLAND

Student Finance

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had regarding funding arrangements for students from Scotland who wish to study at higher education institutions in England.

Alistair Darling: I have had a number of discussions and the Scottish Executive announced its proposals on higher education funding last week.

Power Stations

Anne Picking: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will discuss with the Minister for Energy the introduction of location charging to Scottish power stations.

Anne McGuire: Scotland Office and DTI Ministers have had a number of discussions on the Energy Bill and I am aware of the concerns raised over the introduction of location charging in Scotland. The increase in transmission charges needs to be seen in the context of a package of reforms that make up BETTA. Any increase must be seen alongside the removal of charges for access to the England and Wales market and for use of the Interconnector.

Small Businesses (Taxation)

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received from Scottish small business organisations about the tax treatment of dividends.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office maintains contact with all business representative organisations in Scotland at both official and ministerial level and received a copy of the Federation of Small Businesses Scottish survey results published at the beginning of this month. I note this makes no mention of the tax treatment of dividends. The Government and the Scottish Executive are committed to creating an environment in which businesses small and large can flourish.

Housing Supply

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive regarding the Barker Review.

Alistair Darling: I have had no discussions with the Scottish Executive regarding the Barker Review. The Scottish Executive are conducting a review of affordable housing in Scotland, considering many of the issues and proposals raised by the Barker Review.

Inverclyde (Regeneration)

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next plans to visit Inverclyde to discuss regeneration.

Alistair Darling: I have no plans at present to do so.

Manufacturing Industry

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on manufacturing industry in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: The Government fully recognise the substantial role that manufacturing continues to play in Scotland's economy.
	We have put in place a wide range of measures to support the sector such as R and D tax credits and measures to support the commercialisation of academic research. These, along with the macroeconomic stability delivered by this Government and the devolved measures implemented by the Scottish Executive, mean that manufacturing in Scotland is well placed to benefit from the improved global trading conditions.

Road Fuel Taxation

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has held with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) the Scottish Executive on the effect of fuel duty levels on rural Scotland.

Alistair Darling: I have regular meetings with my right hon. Friend and with Scottish Ministers.

Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the recent publication of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.

Anne McGuire: We are committed to tackling poverty and deprivation and welcome the publication of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation which will be a useful tool in the further development of polices to tackle deprivation.

Seamounts

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw) of 26 May 2004, Official Report, column 1621W, on seamounts, what the involvement of the Scotland Office has been in the work to identify and agree management measures for the seamounts.

Anne McGuire: The United Kingdom's interest in the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) is co-ordinated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which consults other departments of Government and the devolved administrations as appropriate.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Electronic Voting

Chris Bryant: To ask the Leader of the House if he will introduce electronic voting in the lobbies of the House.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend has no plans to propose the introduction of electronic voting. However, he is strongly in favour of using information technology where it can make the House operate more effectively, and he would be interested to know Members' views on the potential merits of electronic voting in the Lobby.

Awareness of Parliament

Ann Winterton: To ask the Leader of the House what plans he has to encourage awareness of the work of Parliament among school children.

Peter Hain: Following the publication of the Modernisation Committee's report on Connecting with the Public, I plan to discuss with the Speaker and with my colleagues on the House of Commission how best to address the Committee's recommendations on connecting with young people.

Sitting Hours

Bob Spink: To ask the Leader of the House what recent representations he has received on the House's sitting hours.

Peter Hain: I have so far received 83 responses to the letter I sent all Members on 8 January asking for views on our sitting hours. In addition, I have spoken to many Members about this matter.

Sitting Hours

Peter Viggers: To ask the Leader of the House what consideration he is giving to a revision of the House's sitting hours.

Phil Woolas: The Modernisation Committee has now embarked on its inquiry into the sitting hours of the House. My right hon. Friend (the Leader of the House) intends to write to all Members of the House outlining the options that are currently available and seeking further views, building on the evidence gathered by the Procedure Committee.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Organic and UK Produce

Norman Baker: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee what percentage of (a) fruit and (b) vegetables available for sale within the House are (i) organic and (ii) sourced within the UK.

Dennis Turner: The Refreshment Department uses organic produce when it represents value for money, is of an appropriate quality and can be delivered in sufficient quantities. However, it is generally a premium product and as such is not used as a matter of course. The organic nature of produce is recorded only if it is purchased specifically for a promotion of organic food and so no figures are available on the percentage of organic produce for sale in the House.
	By law, the Refreshment Department cannot discriminate in favour of or against the produce of any EU member state. It does not, therefore, maintain a record of the country of origin of the fruit and vegetables purchased for sale in Refreshment Department facilities.

TREASURY

Illegal Cigarettes (Northern Ireland)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated value was of illegal cigarettes seized in Northern Ireland in 2003.

John Healey: The location of a seizure does not necessarily indicate the illicit market for which those goods are bound. Specifically in Northern Ireland in 2002–03, Customs seized 31.5 million cigarettes. At average retail prices these would have been liable to £5.6 million in tobacco revenue (based on excise duty and VAT).

Customs and Excise

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the official title is of the unit in Customs and Excise that deals with human intelligence policy; where this unit is based; how many people the unit employs; and what its operating costs are in 2004–05.

John Healey: Responsibility for policy issues relating to human intelligence in HM Customs and Excise rests with the National Source Unit. The National Source Unit is based in London and is part of the Law Enforcement directorate of HM Customs and Excise. It would not be appropriate to give details of the numbers and costs of staff engaged at specific locations, as provided for under Exemptions 4 and 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

European Constitution

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the financial impact of Article III-157(3) of the proposed European Constitution; and what representations he has received about its impact.

Dawn Primarolo: Article III-157(3) of the proposed Constitutional Treaty requires that any proposal in the field of energy that is primarily fiscal in nature must be agreed by unanimity in the Council. This is consistent with the Government's commitment to ensure that unanimity is retained for tax matters decided at the EU level, as set out in the White Paper on the Intergovernmental Conference.
	The financial impact of any measures adopted under Article 157(3) would depend upon their nature and content.
	The Chancellor has not received any representations about the impact of this provision.

Pension Contributions (Tax Relief)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount of tax relief on pension contributions provided in Scotland in the financial year 2002–03 broken down by (a) higher rate taxpayers, (b) basic rate taxpayers and (c) non-taxpayers.

Dawn Primarolo: No estimates are available.

Pensioners

Michael Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many state retirement taxpayers of pension age reside in (a) the parliamentary constituency of Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale, (b) the Scottish Borders and (c) Scotland.

Dawn Primarolo: The requested information is given in the following table.
	
		State retirement pension age taxpayers in 2001–02
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 (a) Parliamentary constituency of Tweeddale,  Ettrick and Lauderdale — 
			 (b) The Scottish Borders 11,000 
			 (c) Scotland 390,000 
		
	
	In the Survey of Personal Incomes, the sample size of pensioners living in the Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale constituency is relatively small compared to other constituencies so a reliable estimate cannot be given. Estimates for the Scottish Borders and Scotland are based on the 2001–02 Survey of Personal Incomes.
	All estimates should be treated with caution because of sampling variation.

Pensioners

David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the existing law governing National Insurance contributions by working pensioners; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Working pensioners do not pay National Insurance contributions. The Government keep under review legislation governing National Insurance contributions.

Pensions

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters have been sent to people to warn that they may need to pay higher National Insurance contributions to receive a full state pension; how many people have made payments as a result; and what the value is of payments received so far.

Dawn Primarolo: On 27 October 2003 the Inland Revenue started writing to people with deficient years in their National Insurance records who would have received a deficiency notice for the years since they were suspended in 1998. Not all of these people need to pay extra to ensure a full state pension. This exercise is expected to finish by the end of September this year. As of 20 June 2004, almost 6 million letters had been issued. Nearly 90,000 people have made voluntary payments, paying a total of £16.5 million.
	The Inland Revenue plans to resume the annual exercise of sending deficiency notices by the end of the year.

Petroleum Products (Duty)

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the duty imposed on petroleum products (a) is and (b) was in 1997.

John Healey: For duty rates imposed on petroleum products in 1997, I refer the hon. Member to the Budget 1997 Press Notice C&E 3 available on the Treasury's website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk. Current duty rates are contained in Budget Notice 26/04, available on the Customs and Excise website at www.hmce.gov.uk. Copies of these documents are available in the Library of the House.

Petroleum Products (Duty)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Royal Automobile Club regarding the level of duty on road fuels.

John Healey: I am not aware of any representations having been received from the RAC on this matter.

STEPS Agreement

Denzil Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanism is in place to monitor whether the estimated total savings from the STEPS agreement is being periodically met.

Dawn Primarolo: Over 80 per cent. of the annual payments made by the Departments to Mapeley relate to Facility Prices on properties that were transferred to Mapeley at the start of the contract. These costs were subject to careful scrutiny as part of the bidding evaluation process, they are fixed—being subject only to indexation—and represent very good value for money. Any additional properties, or contract variations (i.e. the remaining 20 per cent.) which the Departments pay for, are subject to benchmarking to ensure that they also represent demonstrable and auditable value for money.

Warm Front Budget

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account his Department took of the advice of the Government's Fuel Poverty Advisory Group in assessing the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs settlement under the Comprehensive Spending Review; and what changes will be made in the warm front budget over the next three years.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers take a keen interest in the Government's Fuel Poverty Strategy and are committed to reaching our targets in this area. The advice of the Government's Fuel Poverty Advisory Group was therefore welcomed as a valuable contribution to the debate. Decisions on future programmes and Government spending to meet these targets are currently being taken in the context of the spending review.

DEFENCE

Armoured Vehicle Training System

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reasons are for the change in the timing of the (a) decision and (b) announcement of the preferred bidder for the private finance initiative contract for the Armoured Vehicle Training System at Bovington and Lulworth in Dorset; and when he expects to make an announcement on the preferred bidder.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 June 2004
	The Armoured Vehicles Training Service is a significant PFI programme over 30 years. Extended evaluation of the very close bids has delayed an announcement that the Department had hoped to make by the end of May.
	A decision is expected soon, with an announcement thereafter.

Commercial Exploitation Levy

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the receipts from the commercial exploitation levy on defence exports have been in the past three years.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 10 June 2004, Official Report, column 589W.

Commonwealth War Graves

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which countries have Commonwealth war graves; how many graves are located in each; and how often they are inspected.

Ivor Caplin: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) maintains over 1,179,000 war graves at 23,203 burial sites in 148 countries around the world. It also commemorates a further 760,193 Commonwealth war dead on memorials to the missing, for whom there is no known grave.
	The CWGC inspect their graves and cemeteries on a regular basis, but the inspection cycle varies from country to country. In the United Kingdom, where the care of the majority of war graves in civil cemeteries and churchyards is entrusted to local authorities and contractors, inspections are made every six months; however in churchyards and cemeteries that contain very few war graves, there is a three-year cycle. In more distant locations (e.g. South America), where inspections by CWGC staff may be less frequent, reports are obtained from third parties (e.g. consular staff).
	Further detailed information related to the countries which have Commonwealth war graves and how many graves are located in each cemetery is available from the CWGC website at: www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/search

Defence Assistance Fund

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial support has been given to defence sales through the Defence Assistance Fund over the last three years.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 14 June 2004, Official Report, columns 637–38W.

Defence Bodies

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) 1 Group, (ii) 2 Group, (iii) 3 Group, and (iv) Deputy Commander-in-Chief management group was in financial years (A) 2000–01 and (B) 2001–02;
	(2)  what the average number of full-time equivalent (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial civilians employed in the (i) 1 (UK) Armoured Division, (ii) 2nd Division, (iii) 3rd Division, (iv) 4th Division, (v) 5th Division, (vi) Command HQ, (vii) Scotland, (viii) Capital Works and (ix) UK Support Command (Germany) management group was in financial year 1999–2000.

Ivor Caplin: The available information on numbers of military and civilian personnel analysed by budgetary grouping and by Defence Agency is contained in tables 2.2, 2.3 and 2.7 of United Kingdom Defence Statistics 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 copies of which are available in the Library of the House. Further details could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the Defence Export Services Organisation's income related to (a) fees charged to defence companies and (b) sales of surplus equipment in the last three years.

Adam Ingram: The income of the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) that relates to fees charged to defence companies was less than 5 per cent. in each of the last three years.
	Within DESO, the Disposal Services Agency (DSA) has sole responsibility for the disposal by sale of all surplus MOD equipment. The bulk of the receipts from the sale of surplus equipment are paid to the Defence Logistics Organisation. A proportion is retained to fund the running costs of the DSA and this has been around 10 per cent. of DESO income over the last three years.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budget for the Defence Export Services Organisation is for the financial years (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06.

Adam Ingram: Provision of £14.426 million has been made for the net operating costs of the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) for the current financial year.
	The DESO budget for the financial year 2005–06 has not yet been finalised, and I am withholding a projection of these costs under exemption 2c of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
	The costs of DESO are more than offset by benefits to the Defence budget arising from defence exports. Savings to the defence budget come from spreading the fixed overhead costs of equipment over the longer production runs generated by exports, from the sale of surplus military equipment to overseas Governments, and from Commercial Exploitation Levy on exports of equipment developed using public money.

Departmental Property Overseas

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many of his Department's houses overseas are empty;
	(2)  how many houses in barracks overseas have been renovated in the last five years; how many will be improved next year; and on which overseas camps they are located.

Ivor Caplin: The information required is taking time to collate. When it is available, I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Falkland Islands

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what talks have taken place with the Falkland Islands Government on the 25th anniversary of the war.

Ivor Caplin: We expect to discuss this important anniversary with the Falkland Islands Government in due course. I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him on 19 May 2004, Official Report, column 1072W.

Military Vehicles

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many drivers of military vehicles, by type, have been (a) killed and (b) injured (i) off-road and (ii) on the public highway in each of the past five years.

Ivor Caplin: In the period 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2003, there were 11 deaths involving drivers of military vehicles. Of these nine died on the public highway and two died off-road. In the period 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2003, there were 2,987 injuries involving drivers of military vehicles. Of these 2,746 were injured on the public highway and 241 were injured off-road.
	A breakdown of these deaths and injuries by vehicle type and year is given at tables A and B.
	
		Table A: Deaths in drivers of military vehicles: 1999 to 2003
		
			  1999 2000 2001 
			 Vehicle Type Public road Off road Public road Off road Public road Off road 
		
		
			 Totals 3 — — 1 3 1 
			 Car saloons 1 — — — 2 — 
			 Truck utility — — — — 1 1 
			 Motorcycle — — — 1 — — 
			 Vans 1 — — — — — 
			 4 tonne 1 — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003  
			  Public road Off road Public road Off road Total 
		
		
			 Totals 2 — 1 — 11 
			 Car saloons — — 1 — 4 
			 Truck utility 2 — — — 4 
			 Motorcycle — — — — 1 
			 Vans — — — — 1 
			 4 tonne — — — — 1 
		
	
	
		Table B: Injuries to drivers of military vehicles: 1999 to 2003
		
			  1999 2000 2001 
			  Public road Off road Public road Off road Public road Off road 
		
		
			 Total 345 34 364 50 645 56 
			 Car saloons 127 2 114 9 251 10 
			 Truck utility 115 11 122 7 162 27 
			 4 tonne 29 — 18 13 71 4 
			 Mini buses 16 — 20 3 45 — 
			 Vans 13 — 16 — 33 1 
			 Motorcycle 6 2 14 2 13 5 
			 Tracked A vehicle 6 5 9 5 3 4 
			 Medium mobility load carrier 6 — 3 2 9 — 
			 Other cargo vehicles 2 — 5 1 11 — 
			 Pinzgauer 3 2 12 4 1 — 
			 Wheeled A vehicle 6 6 2 — 3 — 
			 8 tonne 4 — 2 — 7 — 
			 Ambulances — — 1 — 12 4 
			 Plant vehicles 3 6 2 2 3 — 
			 Fuel vehicle — — 6 2 8 — 
			 Recovery vehicle 3 — 4 — — — 
			 Motor coaches 1 — 3 — 2 — 
			 14 tonne 4  — — 3 — 
			 Articulated vehicle — — 2 — 2 1 
			 Fire Fighting vehicle — — — — 4 — 
			 Special vehicle — — 5 — — — 
			 Tank transporter — — 4 — — — 
			 Misc. engineer vehicles 1 — — — — — 
			 Truck utility heavy — — — — 2 — 
		
	
	
		
			  2002 2003 
			  Public road Off road Public road Off road Total 
		
		
			 Total 738 50 654 51 2,987 
			 Car saloons 285 2 276 8 1,084 
			 Truck utility 197 30 173 26 870 
			 4 tonne 58 — 37 2 232 
			 Mini buses 85 — 53 1 223 
			 Vans 34 — 38 2 137 
			 Motorcycle 9 3 6 5 65 
			 Tracked A vehicle 5 5 4 — 46 
			 Medium mobility load carrier 8 1 14 — 43 
			 Other cargo vehicles 6 3 12 1 41 
			 Pinzgauer 5 — 4 — 31 
			 Wheeled A vehicle 8 — 5 — 30 
			 8 tonne 7 1 6 2 29 
			 Ambulances 4 1 4 — 26 
			 Plant vehicles 2 4 3 — 25 
			 Fuel vehicle — — 7 — 23 
			 Recovery vehicle 7 — 1 — 15 
			 Motor coaches 3 — 4 1 14 
			 14 tonne 5 — — — 12 
			 Articulated vehicle 5 — — — 10 
			 Fire Fighting vehicle — — 3 3 10 
			 Special vehicle 3 — 2 — 10 
			 Tank transporter 2 — — — 6 
			 Misc. engineer vehicles — — 2 — 3 
			 Truck utility heavy — — — — 2

MOD Sites

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the licence ends for civilian use of Thorney Down waste site at DSTL Porton Down; and if he will make a statement about plans for its future use.

Ivor Caplin: The lease between MOD and Wiltshire county council for the use of the Thorny Down site is for a term of 50 years, from 25 December 1995 until 25 December 2045. Due to length of the lease, there are no immediate MOD plans for the future use of this site.

Overseas Hospitals

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's hospitals operate abroad; and in which countries they are located.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence currently operates two permanent hospitals overseas. These are the Princess Mary's Hospital in Cyprus, and the Royal Naval Hospital in Gibraltar.

Overseas Hospitals

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) forces and (b) civilian staff work in his Department's hospitals abroad.

Ivor Caplin: The following numbers of personnel are currently employed at our two permanent hospitals overseas:
	
		The Princess Mary's Hospital, Cyprus
		
			 Personnel Number 
		
		
			 Service 102 
			 Civilian 83 
		
	
	
		The Royal Naval Hospital, Gibraltar
		
			 Personnel Number 
		
		
			 Service 46 
			 Civilian 37 
		
	
	In addition, some support services in Cyprus are contracted out.

Service Vehicles

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many (a) Bedford, (b) AWD and (c) Leyland-Daf trucks are operated by (i) the Army, (ii) the Royal Air Force and (iii) the Royal Navy;
	(2)  how many ambulances are operated in (a) the Army, (b) the Royal Air Force and (c) the Royal Navy, broken down by make;
	(3)  how many Land Rovers are operated by (a) the Army, (b) the Royal Air Force and (c) the Royal Navy.

Adam Ingram: The numbers of Bedford, Leyland-Daf trucks, ambulances and Land Rovers operated by the Department are shown in the following table. There are no all wheeled drive (AWD) tankers in service.
	
		
			 Vehicle type RN Army RAF 
		
		
			 Bedford 4 Tonne 41 5,002 344 
			 Bedford 8 Tonne 0 1,460 11 
			 Bedford 14 Tonne 0 900 0 
			 Leyland-Daf Trucks 9 3,796 238 
			 Ambulances operational 0 780 70 
			 Ambulances non-operational 13 11 1 
			 Land Rover operational 26 12,191 765 
			 Land Rover non-operational(7) 179 148 393 
		
	
	(7) It should be noted that a small number of Land Rovers have also been purchased under local ad hoc arrangements and are subsequently not managed by the DLO. It would require disproportionate effort to determine exactly the numbers involved.

Tornado

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the programme for the development of Modular Defensive Aids Systems for the Tornado for the current and next two years.

Adam Ingram: The results of the recent Assessment Phase for the Modular Defensive Aids System project are being evaluated. A decision on the next phase of the project is under consideration as part of the Department's normal planning process.

War Pensions (Tamworth)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pensioners within Tamworth constituency receive war pensions (a) through an order book, (b) through a Post Office card account and (c) paid directly into a bank or building society account.

Ivor Caplin: According to the Veterans Agency Computer System, as at 31 December 2003, there were 185 ongoing war disablement pensioners and 40 war widow(er)s with a recorded address in the parliamentary constituency of Tamworth.
	The table shows the method of payment for these pensioners.
	
		
			  Payment method 
			   Automated credit transfer to: 
			  Order book Post Office Card Account Bank or Building Society Total 
		
		
			 War Disablement  Pensioners 20 10 155 185 
			 War widow(er)s 10 (8)— 30 40 
		
	
	(8) Values above 0 but less than 5
	Note:
	Please note that all figures are rounded to the nearest 5.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Devolution

Chris Bryant: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has to provide a new system of arbitration of disputes between the Westminster Parliament and the devolved assemblies.

David Lammy: There are no plans to provide a system for arbitration of disputes between the Westminster Parliament and the devolved legislatures. It is not for the Government to dictate how Parliament interacts with its devolved counterparts.
	The mechanism to consider disputes between UK Government and the devolved administrations is the Joint Ministerial Committee as established in the Memorandum of Understanding.

Court House (Colchester)

Bob Russell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when he expects that planning permission will be given for the new court house in Colchester.

Christopher Leslie: Outline planning permission is currently being sought for a new court in Colchester. We anticipate a decision by the planning authority in October 2004.

House of Lords

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has to implement the Government's pledge to make the House of Lords more democratic.

Christopher Leslie: The Government are determined to proceed with further reform of the House of Lords. Proposals will be developed in the context of the Labour Party manifesto.

House of Lords

Graham Allen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions the Department has had with Mr. Billy Bragg on using a secondary mandate as a way of electing part of the Second Chamber.

Christopher Leslie: Mr. Bragg approached the Department to draw his proposals to the Department's attention. He has had a number of meetings, including a meeting with Ministers to discuss them.

Camera Safety Partnerships

Peter Luff: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the role of magistrates courts committees in camera safety partnerships.

Christopher Leslie: Magistrates courts committees have three roles. First, to collect and account for money due for fixed penalty notices issued under the safety camera scheme. Second, endorsing driving licenses with penalty points where this is appropriate. Third, enforcing unpaid fixed penalties where they are registered as a fine.

Civil Service Relocation

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many civil servants and what percentage of the total civil service workforce in his Department will be relocated over the next five years (a) outside the M25, (b) to the West Midlands and (c) to Staffordshire.

David Lammy: 13,000 DCA staff (90 per cent. out of a current total of 15,200) are already based in regional locations and/or are working in front-line customer facing roles in London and the south east. We plan to locate the regional assessment centre of the new Judicial Appointments Commission and the HQ of the new tribunals agency outside London and the south east. No decisions have yet been made regarding the potential location of these offices.
	The Lyons report gives details of Departments' relocation plans, which are being taken forward and refined as part of the Spending Review. The Government will announce proposals for implementing and monitoring the dispersal plans in the review.

Legal Aid

David Kidney: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has for reducing the proportion of the legal aid budget expended on very high cost cases.

David Lammy: The Legal Services Commission introduced a scheme for managing very high cost criminal cases in 2001 with the aim of bringing expenditure in this area under better control. We have recently been discussing changes with the Bar Council and others to make the scheme workable and minimise bureaucratic burdens and we have proposed some changes to this effect. The Bar Council has reacted in a positive way. Notwithstanding these changes, the scheme will still deliver its aims of better cost control, and will help mitigate the rate of inflation in this area of business and thus reduce pressures on other aspects of the legal aid budget.
	The Fundamental Legal Aid Review is looking at how a finite budget can be better targeted at those most in need which includes studying cost drivers in very high cost cases and will make recommendations by the end of the year.

Lord Chancellor

David Amess: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the Department expects the post of Lord Chancellor to be abolished; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: Subject to the wishes of Parliament the office of Lord Chancellor will be abolished once the relevant provisions of the Constitutional Reform Bill, and other necessary measures, have been brought into effect.

Postal Voting

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has to extend trials of postal voting during the next general election.

Christopher Leslie: None.

Postal Voting

Tim Boswell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many individual electors with special needs were assisted in voting through domiciliary visits by electoral staff in each of the four postal pilot areas on 10 June.

Christopher Leslie: This information is not held centrally. The Electoral Commission has a statutory duty to produce an evaluation of the pilots. This report must take into consideration the evaluation criteria specified in section 4 of the European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Act 2004. I understand that this report will assess the accessibility of the pilot elections for those with special needs.

Refurbishing Costs

Alan Duncan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what costs were incurred by the Department and its predecessors in refurbishing the departmental estate in each financial year since 1996–97.

Christopher Leslie: The departmental estate is comprised of the headquarters offices (Selborne House, Southside, Millbank, Chancery Lane, Conquest, Steel and Clive House) and 372 regional buildings, which are mostly court and tribunal premises.
	The expenditure can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Financial Year Cost of refurbishment and maintenance (£ million) 
		
		
			 1996–97 24.3 
			 1997–98 23.5 
			 1998–99 24.4 
			 1999–2000 27.9 
			 2000–01 27.4 
			 2001–02 18.8 
			 2002–03 19.1 
			 2003–04 26.5

TRANSPORT

Aircraft Emissions (Education)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to educate the public about the environmental consequences of increased emissions from aircraft.

Tony McNulty: The extensive national consultation exercise leading up to the Government's recent Air Transport White Paper gave prominence to the environmental impacts of the growth of air transport. In addition public debate will be stimulated by the Governments commitment to including aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. Defra has previously carried out a national campaign, aimed at heightening awareness of personal impact upon climate change though lifestyle choices, and continues do so across a number of fields.

British Transport Police

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action his Department is taking to cover the deficit in the British Transport Police Pension Fund shown in the December 2002 valuation; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: It is currently for the SRA as employer of the British Transport Police, the Management Committee of the Fund, and the corporate pension trustee to agree how to address the deficit. From 1 July 2004 the employer responsibility will be passed to the new British Transport Police Authority. A revaluation of the Fund is to be carried out with effect from 30 June 2004. The results will not be known for some months.

Freight Transport

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much tonnage of goods was lifted by (a) road and (b) rail in each year since 1997.

Kim Howells: The information is as follows:
	
		Goods lifted by road and rail in Great Britain: 1997 to 2003 -- Million tonnes
		
			  Road Rail 1 
		
		
			 1997 1,740 105 
			 1998 1,727 102 
			 1999 1,661 (10)92 
			 2000 1,689 95 
			 2001 1,660 94 
			 2002 1,708 87 
			 2003 (11)l,725 89 
		
	
	(9) Rail figures are for financial years ie 1997–98 etc.
	(10) Rail figures from 1999 are not directly comparable with previous data due to a change in methodology.
	(11) Provisional.
	Source:
	Department for Transport (road); Strategic Rail Authority (rail).

Rail Service (North-West)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of (a) freight and (b) passenger trains to Europe from the North West.

Tony McNulty: Current arrangements for cross-Channel freight services derive from the contract between Eurotunnel, British Railways Board and SNCF. As required by section 206 of the Transport Act 2000, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is developing a regional Channel Tunnel strategy for passenger and freight services. The SRA's proposals will have to take account of the business plan expected to be produced shortly by the Eurotunnel Board.

Road Safety

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries there were on the roads of Tamworth constituency in each of the last 10 years.

David Jamieson: The information currently available relates to local authorities. The following table shows the number of deaths and serious injuries there were on the roads of the Tamworth local authority for the last 10 years for which data are available. Estimates on the basis of parliamentary constituencies will be prepared in the summer. I shall write to the hon. Member when figures are available and place a copy of my letter in the Libraries of the House.
	
		Road deaths and serious injuries in Tamworth local authority 1993–2002
		
			  Killed Serious injuries 
		
		
			 1993 1 20 
			 1994 1 34 
			 1995 1 17 
			 1996 0 17 
			 1997 2 19 
			 1998 0 15 
			 1999 0 15 
			 2000 3 10 
			 2001 2 11 
			 2002 0 21 
			 Total 10 179

Road Safety

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking towards meeting the goals of (a) a 40 per cent. reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents and (b) a 50 per cent. reduction in children killed or seriously injured in road accidents by 2010.

David Jamieson: Our road safety strategy—"Tomorrow's roads—safer for everyone"—published in March 2000, set out the framework for delivering further improvements in road safety over the decade to 2010. It contains more than 150 measures across 10 themes with a key focus on better education, better engineering and better enforcement.
	A number of these measures have already been, or are being, implemented with the active involvement of many stakeholders across Britain both within and outside Government. "Road Casualties Great Britain 2003: Main Results" published on 24 June 2004 shows that total deaths or serious injuries in 2003 were 22 per cent. below the 1994–98 baseline average; over half way towards our 40 per cent. target by 2010. Child deaths or serious injuries were down 40 per cent.; over three-quarters of the way towards our 50 per cent. target by 2010.
	The strategy included a commitment to formally review progress every three years. The first review published in April 2004 concluded that we are on track to deliver the challenging casualty reduction targets, while highlighting some areas requiring continuing attention. These areas are being given special focus as we continue to develop the strategy as new ideas and technology emerge.

Transport Infrastructure (Chorley)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much Government money has been spent on Chorley (a) bus interchange and (b) train station; and what the planned expenditure is for the coming year.

Tony McNulty: Lancashire county council and Chorley borough council jointly developed the new Chorley bus Interchange completed in March 2003 at a cost of £3.267 million.
	The refurbishment of the railway station opposite the bus interchange commenced on the 5 January 2004 to create a true Transport interchange for Chorley. Over £464,000 of government borrowing has been approved.
	There is no further planned expenditure for the following year.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC Charter Review

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to involve Gaelic-speaking organisations in the BBC Charter Review.

Tessa Jowell: Charter review will examine all aspects of the BBC's role, structure and function—subject to one certain outcome, that it will result in a strong BBC, independent of Government.
	One of the issues that the Charter review is considering is how the BBC represents nations, regions and communities, and we will be consulting further as Charter review proceeds. I will ensure that Gaelic speaking organisations are included.

BBC Charter Review

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps within the BBC Charter review process to ensure that BBC World remains part of the BBC.

Tessa Jowell: As set out in the consultation document The Review of the BBC's Royal Charter, the BBC's international activities are an area we will be considering as Charter review progresses. We are not yet in a position to draw any conclusions about the outcome of Charter review save that it will result in a strong BBC, independent of Government.

British Film Institute

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the British Film Institute about preserving its archive; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what funding her Department has made available to digitise the British Film Institute's archive; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what percentage of the British Film Institute's archive has been digitised.

Estelle Morris: I recently met the Chair and Director of the British Film Institute (BFI), to discuss their plans to reform the BFI. A key element of this strategy is a long-term plan to secure and further develop the BFI's Archive. Immediate initial investment is being made to stabilise the collection, improve storage, and enhance public understanding of its contents. Increased training of existing staff and recruitment of new curatorial and technical staff will support this capital investment.
	Through the UK Film Council, the Government have increased their core funding of the BFI from £14.5 million to £16 million this financial year, together with a one off award of an additional £2 million in capital funds. It is not possible to itemise expenditure specifically for digitisation. The largest proportion of new material being received at the BFI Archive is UK television programming, almost all of which is now delivered in a digital format. Currently, it is not possible to calculate exactly the amount of material in the Archive that is digitised, though the BFI are planning to invest significantly in digital access technology, so that the widest possible number of people can enjoy the treasures within the film Archive.

Dorney Lake Rowing Facility

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public money has been spent on the Dorney Lake Rowing Facility; what the total cost has been of developing the facility to date; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Department allocates funding for sport through Sport England and UK Sport.
	In May 2004, £17 million had been spent by Eton College on developing the Dorney Lake Rowing Facility. No public money has been spent on the facility to date.

Dorney Lake Rowing Facility

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what research has been conducted to compare the Dorney Lake Rowing Facility with other international rowing venues in Europe; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Department is not aware of any research of this type.
	The Amateur Rowing Association (AMA), as the Governing Body for rowing, may be able to provide further information. The AMA is working very closely with Eton College to develop the Dorney Lake facility.

Lottery Revenue

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much revenue from National Lottery ticket sales has not been paid out in prizes; by whom this revenue is held; what rate of interest is applicable; and to whose benefit that interest accrues.

Estelle Morris: The total level of Lottery prizes that have not been claimed since the National Lottery began is £633,480,414. The current level of unclaimed prizes is £100,984,259. All prize money is held in an independently managed prize fund until a winning player claims a prize. The average interest on this fund is 4.2395 per cent. Any interest accrued from this fund, along with any prizes left unclaimed 180 days after the date of the relevant draw, is passed to the good causes. Camelot does place adverts nationally and locally in the run up to the 180 day deadline for large unclaimed prizes. They also announce in which area the ticket was purchased.

Shurland Hall

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what recommendations Mr. Simon Thurley of English Heritage made to her on the future of Shurland Hall at Eastchurch in the Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency following his visit; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  when she expects to make a decision on the future of Shurland Hall at Eastchurch in the Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Following agreement between English Heritage and the owners of Shurland Hall, a contract has recently been let by English Heritage for the preparation of an outline repair and development scheme with a view to implementation by the private sector. The first tranche of the holding repairs is expected to take place in summer 2005 rather than summer 2004. In view of the welcome agreement of the owners, involvement by the Secretary of State is not appropriate.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Child Deaths

Tim Loughton: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  how many cases of parents prosecuted for causing child deaths have so far been reviewed following the review announced in January;
	(2)  when she expects the review of cases of parents convicted of causing child deaths to be completed.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the Attorney-General's statement, Official Report, House of Lords, 5 May 2004, columns 55–57WS.

Criminal Prosecutions

Simon Hughes: To ask the Solicitor-General how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful criminal prosecutions were brought for crimes perpetrated in Greater London in each year since 1995.

Harriet Harman: The following table shows the number of defendants whose case resulted in a conviction or in an unsuccessful outcome in the London area of the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last nine years. The table also shows convictions and unsuccessful outcomes as a proportion of the total number of defendant cases finalised in the magistrates courts and in the Crown court in each of the years in question.
	Convictions comprise both guilty pleas and cases resulting in a guilty verdict following a contested hearing. In addition, magistrates courts convictions include a number of minor motoring matters proved in the absence of the defendant.
	Unsuccessful outcomes in the magistrates courts comprise: discontinuances; cases written off (usually because the defendant could not be traced by the police); discharged committals; dismissals no case to answer; and dismissals after full trial. Unsuccessful outcomes in the Crown court comprise: cases in which the prosecution decided not to proceed before a jury was sworn, and in which the judge ordered an acquittal; cases written off (usually because the defendant could not be traced by the police); judge directed acquittals; and acquittals by the jury.
	In 1995, convictions amounted to 63.5 per cent. of all outcomes and unsuccessful outcomes to 36.5 per cent. By 2003 convictions had risen to 72.2 per cent., while unsuccessful outcomes had fallen to 27.8 per cent.
	
		Case outcomes CPS London
		
			  1995 1996 1997 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Magistrates courts  
			 Discontinuances 33,944 13.9 26,754 16.0 26,272 13.4 
			 Write offs 44,990 18.4 30,547 18.3 25,809 13.1 
			 Committals Discharged 253 0.1 323 0.2 387 0.2 
			 Dismissals No Case to Answer 521 0.2 315 0.2 558 0.3 
			 Dismissals after Trial 3,860 1.6 2,139 1.3 2,855 1.5 
			 Total unsuccessful outcomes in magistrates courts 83,568 34.2 60,077 36.0 55,881 28.4 
			 Guilty Pleas 106,232 43.5 70,821 42.4 95,804 48.7 
			 Proofs in Absence 18,897 7.7 11,766 7.0 16,259 8.3 
			 Convictions after Trial 17,270 7.1 8,720 5.2 11,655 5.9 
			 Total convictions in magistrates courts 142,399 58.3 91,306 54.7 123,718 62.9 
			
			 Crown court   
			 Judge Ordered Acquittals 2,210 0.9 1,774 1.1 1,926 1.0 
			 Write offs 731 0.3 472 0.3 420 0.2 
			 Judge Directed Acquittals 540 0.2 351 0.2 400 0.2 
			 Acquittals after Trial 1,974 0.8 1,522 0.9 2,121 1.1 
			 Total unsuccessful outcomes in Crown court 5,455 2.2 4,119 2.5 4,867 2.5 
			 Guilty Pleas 9,112 3.7 8,769 5.3 8,565 4.4 
			 Convictions after Trial 3,660 1.5 2,636 1.6 3,685 1.9 
			 Total convictions in Crown court 12,772 5.2 11,404 6.8 12,250 6.2 
			
			 Total Unsuccessful Outcomes 89,023 36.5 64,196 38.5 60,748 30.9 
			 Total Convictions 155,171 63.5 102,711 61.5 135,967 69.1 
			 Total Outcomes 244,194  166,907  196,715  
		
	
	
		
			  1998 1999 2000 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Magistrates courts  
			 Discontinuances 22,695 12.3 22,534 13.3 21,213 13.6 
			 Write offs 21,525 11.6 18,974 11.2 17,630 11.3 
			 Committals Discharged 220 0.1 176 0.1 260 0.2 
			 Dismissals No Case to Answer 459 0.2 409 0.2 392 0.3 
			 Dismissals after Trial 2,669 1.4 2,564 1.5 2,406 1.5 
			 Total unsuccessful outcomes in magistrates courts 47,569 25.7 44,656 26.3 41,901 26.9 
			 Guilty Pleas 98,703 53.3 91,257 53.8 84,039 53.9 
			 Proofs in Absence 12,835 6.9 11,361 6.7 10,100 6.5 
			 Convictions after Trial 10,255 5.5 8,482 5.0 6,935 4.4 
			 Total convictions in magistrates courts 121,794 65.8 111,100 65.5 101,074 64.8 
			
			 Crown court   
			 Judge Ordered Acquittals 2,137 1.2 2,057 1.2 2,011 1.3 
			 Write offs 482 0.3 366 0.2 306 0.2 
			 Judge Directed Acquittals 454 0.2 461 0.3 411 0.3 
			 Acquittals after Trial 2,044 1.1 1,888 1.1 1,668 1.1 
			 Total unsuccessful outcomes in Crown court 5,116 2.8 4,773 2.8 4,397 2.8 
			 Guilty Pleas 7,143 3.9 5,844 3.4 5,735 3.7 
			 Convictions after Trial 3,497 1.9 3,182 1.9 2,934 1.9 
			 Total convictions in Crown court 10,640 5.7 9,027 5.3 8,669 5.6 
			
			 Total Unsuccessful Outcomes 52,685 28.5 49,429 29.2 46,298 29.7 
			 Total Convictions 132,434 71.5 120,127 70.8 109,743 70.3 
			 Total Outcomes 185,119  169,556  156,041  
		
	
	
		
			  2001 2002 2003 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Magistrates courts  
			 Discontinuances 22,831 13.9 24,389 13.3 19,794 11.1 
			 Write offs 19,911 12.1 19,915 10.8 19,834 11.1 
			 Committals Discharged 364 0.2 466 0.3 616 0.3 
			 Dismissals No Case to Answer 388 0.2 399 0.2 409 0.2 
			 Dismissals after Trial 2,297 1.4 2,916 1.6 2,433 1.4 
			 Total unsuccessful outcomes in magistrates courts 45,791 27.9 48,085 26.1 43,086 24.1 
			 Guilty Pleas 88,202 53.7 99,088 53.9 95,835 53.6 
			 Proofs in Absence 10,378 6.3 11,557 6.3 10,890 6.1 
			 Convictions after Trial 6,268 3.8 8,180 4.4 9,174 5.1 
			 Total convictions in magistrates courts 104,848 63.8 118,825 64.6 115,899 64.8 
			
			 Crown court   
			 Judge Ordered Acquittals 2,389 1.5 3,378 1.8 3,450 1.9 
			 Write offs 357 0.2 440 0.2 730 0.4 
			 Judge Directed Acquittals 376 0.2 390 0.2 400 0.2 
			 Acquittals after Trial 1,675 1.0 1,718 0.9 2,043 1.1 
			 Total unsuccessful outcomes in Crown court 4,797 2.9 5,925 3.2 6,623 3.7 
			 Guilty Pleas 5,683 3.5 6,607 3.6 8,320 4.7 
			 Convictions after Trial 3,264 2.0 4,536 2.5 4,809 2.7 
			 Total convictions in Crown court 8,947 5.4 11,143 6.1 13,129 7.3 
			
			 Total Unsuccessful Outcomes 50,588 30.8 54,009 29.4 49,709 27.8 
			 Total Convictions 113,795 69.2 129,968 70.6 129,028 72.2 
			 Total Outcomes 164,383  183,978  178,737

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Civil Service

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what changes she expects in the number of civil service jobs in her Department in response to the Gershon Review.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant) on this subject on 22 June 2004, Official Report, columns 1292–93W.

European Community Acquis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 16 June 2004, Official Report, column 959W, on deregulation, what assessment she has made of the range of options available to the European Commission to eliminate European legal texts that are not obsolete and are not duplicated elsewhere in the Community acquis.

Jacqui Smith: My Department has not undertaken such an assessment. The Commission set out its approach to securing a reliable, up-to-date and user-friendly body of EC law in its Communication of February 2003, "Updating and Simplifying the Community Acquis" ((COM 2003) 71 final). This covers: simplification; consolidation; codification; repeal; obsolescence; and organisation and presentation of the acquis. It has just published a second report (COM (2004) 432) detailing progress on plans laid out in the 2003 communication.

European Community Acquis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2004, Official Report, column 959W, on deregulation, whether the Competitiveness Council can make changes to the legal status of the Community acquis unilaterally.

Jacqui Smith: The Competitiveness Council cannot change the acquis unilaterally. EU legislation is made and amended following the procedures set down in the Treaty.

Consultants

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the expenditure on consultants was for each regional development agency in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 19 May 2004
	The regional development agencies have provided the following information.
	
		Spend by regional development agencies on consultants in 2003–04
		
			 Agency £ million 
		
		
			 Advantage West Midlands 0.6 
			 East of England Development Agency 1.2 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 5 
			 London Development Agency 4 
			 North West Development Agency 3.4 
			 ONE North East 2.5 
			 South East of England Development Agency 3 
			 South West of England Regional Development Agency 0.9 
			 Yorkshire Forward 2 
		
	
	The Regional Development Agencies do not retain information on consultancy costs in relation to past years and such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will reply to the letter of 18 March from the hon. Member for Totnes concerning Mr. Bob Bowling of Brixham and grants for solar heating.

Stephen Timms: My Department has no record of having received the letter. Following inquiries from my officials we will ensure that the copy faxed from the hon. Member's office on 23 June is answered promptly.

Defence Exports

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent promoting defence exports by British Trade International in each of the last three years.

Mike O'Brien: Government policy in respect of defence exports is implemented by the Defence Exports Service Organisation in the Ministry of Defence, who work in support of defence companies in their bid to undertake legitimate defence exports. However, UK Trade and Investment (formerly British Trade International) continues to support exhibitions and seminars abroad, some of which are mainly defence related.
	Figures for the last three years are:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 551,950 
			 2002–03 645,219 
			 2003–04 566,435

E-mail (Consumer Protection)

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current consumer protection measures in dealing with e-mail promotion and transaction of frauds; and what steps she will take to ensure that perpetrators of such e-mails receive appropriate penalties.

Stephen Timms: E-mail is an extremely powerful vehicle for targeting vast numbers of consumers at very low cost. The types of scams that they carry are also becoming more sophisticated and the nature of the medium also means perpetrators can easily hide their real identities. This particular kind of fraud is therefore challenging, but we believe we are helping to put in place an effective framework of activities to meet it.
	First, through law and enforcement co-operation. E-mail fraud is dealt with under the same laws as other fraud and consumer protection laws such as misleading advertising and distance selling. Therefore they incur the same penalties for infringements of these laws. Our focus then is on ensuring that they can be effectively enforced. To help this process, we are building partnerships between Government, regulators and industry to develop ways—including technological solutions—to find the perpetrators and stop this kind of activity. As many of these types of e-mail come from abroad, a major part of this is building effective co-operation agreements with other countries. In the past two years the UK has built up a network of consumer protection co-operation agreements with other countries including the United States and our European Union partners, and we are at the forefront of driving international co-operation to tackle unsolicited emails (SPAM).
	Second, through information. Advice and guidance to help consumers is key. The Department of Trade and Industry, Home Office and Office of Fair Trading all provide a wide range of information on email fraud for consumers. See www.dti.gov.uk/ccp www.homeoffice. gov.uk and www.oft.gov.uk Consumers should also take note of the help and guidance given by the Internet Service Provider (ISP).
	We believe that this approach—encompassing co-operation, enforcement, information provision and technological solutions—is the right one, and we will continue to improve and build on these elements.

Junk E-mails

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her latest estimate is of the percentage of e-mails received in the UK that are unwanted junk e-mails; and by how much this figure has changed since December 2003.

Stephen Timms: The Government do not estimate the amount of unwanted junk e-mails received in the UK. However, according to industry sources the proportion of UK junk e-mails received at network level for May 2004 was 58.5 per cent. of the total received compared with 33.3 per cent. for December 2003.

MG Rover Group

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what dates (a) discussions and (b) meetings were held between her Department and MG Rover Group since 2000; and if she will place the minutes of these meetings in the Library.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 18 June 2004
	My officials have regular informal discussions and meetings with MG Rover Group, as they do with other key automotive companies operating in the UK. These discussions are not formally minuted.

MG Rover Group

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what duties have been placed upon MG Rover Group to report on the company's financial performance to the Government.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 18 June 2004
	MG Rover Group have the same duties as any other private company to report on their financial performance.

Miners' Strike

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications there have been for enhanced payments from the Mineworkers Pension Scheme from miners dismissed for offences committed during the 1984–85 miners' strike; how many were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful and used the appeals procedure; how many successful appeals there have been; and if she will break down the numbers by former coalfield areas.

Nigel Griffiths: There were a total of 204 applications for the Dismissed Miners Compensation Scheme of which 141 were successful at the initial stage. Two applications were unable to progress where necessary information was requested but, despite reminders, was never provided.
	There were 61 unsuccessful applicants of whom 34 appealed against the original decision. Four of these did not return the appeal form despite reminders being issued and two applicants wished for the appeal to proceed but did not request an oral hearing. 28 applicants requested an oral hearing which took place on a regional basis. There were three successful appeals, based on new information not available at the time of the original decision bringing the total number of successful applicants to 144.
	
		Percentage
		
			  Successful applicants by area (144) Unsuccessful applicants by area (58) 
		
		
			 North East 11 59 
			 Wales 4 8 
			 Yorkshire 14 2 
			 Notts/Derbys/Leics area 13 15 
			 South/South East 20 5 
			 Scotland 38 8 
			 Abroad — 3 
			 Total 100 100 
		
	
	The table provides the breakdown analysis by current address.

National Minimum Wage (Scotland)

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2004, Official Report, column 820W, on the national minimum wage (Scotland), for what reasons it is not now possible to provide a figure for those aged over 21 years benefiting from the national minimum wage in the same terms as the answer to a similar question in June 2003.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Based on the Office for National Statistics' Low Pay data released in 2003, the DTI estimates that in Scotland, between 90,000 and 110,000 people aged 22 or over were expected to have benefited from the October 2003 uprating of the national minimum wage. It is not possible to provide estimates specifically for 18 to 21-year-olds (the Development Rate) because of small sample size.

Post Office Closures

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many (a) rural and (b) urban post offices have closed in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many (a) urban and (b) rural post offices have closed in each of the English regions in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: I understand that since March 2000 the company has recorded details of post office closures, including those under the urban reinvention programme, which commenced in late 2002, on the basis of Government region and country. The figures requested are broken down in the following table.
	
		Urban/rural closures by region
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
			 Region Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural 
		
		
			 East Midlands 3 42 5 33 24 7 88 20 
			 East of England 10 60 +1 22 17 16 91 17 
			 London 9 1 17 +1 43 1 155 0 
			 North East 1 4 0 10 8 1 45 10 
			 North West 11 28 9 +4 25 12 149 12 
			 Northern Ireland 4 17 4 2 4 8 13 7 
			 Scotland 7 57 5 21 13 7 63 14 
			 South East 26 52 7 29 18 23 183 1 
			 South West 11 48 7 26 31 8 107 25 
			 Wales 9 61 3 23 11 7 54 19 
			 West Midlands 5 31 8 16 22 13 87 12 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 10 40 4 17 14 12 94 12 
			 Total 106 441 68 194 (12)230 115 (13)1,129 149 
		
	
	(12) Includes 102 closures under the urban reinvention programme.
	(13) Includes 1,109 closures under the urban reinvention programme and an adjustment of 35 for permanent closures previously considered to be temporary.

Post Office Closures

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices have been closed under the urban post office reinvention programme in each region of the UK since its inception.

Stephen Timms: I am advised that since March 2000 the company has recorded details of post office closures, including those under the urban reinvention programme, which commenced in late 2002, on the basis of Government region and country. The figures requested are broken down in the following table.
	
		Urban reinvention closures by region
		
			 Region 2002–03 2003–04 Total 
		
		
			 East Midlands 7 44 51 
			 East of England 11 44 55 
			 London 11 77 88 
			 North east 4 21 25 
			 North west 10 82 92 
			 Northern Ireland 0 12 1 
			 Scotland 8 27 35 
			 South east 19 110 129 
			 South west 9 52 61 
			 Wales 9 25 34 
			 West Midlands 7 47 54 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 7 51 58 
			 Total 102 1,109 1,211

Post Office Contracts (Tesco)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many post office contracts Tesco has taken over as a result of its takeover of (a) the T&S Group chain of convenience stores, (b) Adminstore and (c) other stores; and how many Post Office contracts Tesco has given notice of its intention to terminate, broken down by (i) the date the Government was notified and (ii) location;
	(2)  for which of the post offices whose contracts Tesco has given notice of its intention to terminate will be (a) relocated nearby and (b) permanently closed;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the cost to Post Office Ltd. of (a) relocating and (b) permanently closing the post office branches whose contracts have been terminated by Tesco.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 15 June 2004
	These are operational matters for Post Office Ltd. and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Small Businesses (Coventry)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government have taken to promote small businesses in the constituency of Coventry, South since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: The Business Link Operator for Coventry, South, Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, has provided assistance to 1544 enterprises, in the Coventry, South constituency since 2001. The Small Business Service was set up as an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry in April 2000. Contracts were exchanged with a national network of 45 Business Link Operators (six in the West Midlands) to provide Business Support to small and medium sized enterprises from April 2001. Before this date Government Support to business was provided through Training and Enterprise Councils.
	496 of the 1,544 companies received Business Start Up advice, other assistance provided included Workforce Development, Financial advice, Investors In People, Specialist Business Advice, International Trade, and Marketing assistance.
	167 of the companies were female run businesses and 122 were ethnic run businesses.
	Since April 2000 the Enterprise Grant scheme (which closed on 31 March 2004) enabled nine companies to receive offers of grant with a total value of £421,000.
	Since 1997 the Research and Development scheme and its predecessor Smart enabled 20 local companies to receive offers of grant with a total value of £1,067,500.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice she offers to British companies intending to undertake commercial activities in the Western Sahara.

Mike O'Brien: The UK views the status of Western Sahara as undetermined and we fully support the efforts of the UN Secretary General and his personal envoy, James Baker, to find a fair and lasting solution to the dispute.
	Commercial deals are a matter for the companies concerned but the companies should be aware of the undetermined status of the territory.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alley Gating

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what grants Chorley council can access for alley gating;
	(2)  how many alley gate schemes have gone ahead in (a) Chorley, (b) Lancashire, broken down by district and (c) the north-west region, broken down by constituency;
	(3)  how many councils have had alley gate schemes rejected in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley.

Hazel Blears: Comprehensive figures for schemes are not available and there are a number of funds which authorities can access for such project. For example, Chorley Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership has used the Building Safer Communities Fund to gate off two streets in 2002–03 and erect a further seven gates in 2003–04.
	As part of our "Together" antisocial behaviour initiative, we have introduced Operation Gate It—a specific fund for environmental solution to problems of antisocial behaviour, including alley gating, accessed through our partner Groundwork UK. Last year we funded pilot Gate-It schemes in Blackburn, Bury, Bootle and Ormskirk. On 24 June, we announced further Gate It Schemes in Blackpool and Wigan. This year's fund has closed but we will be running it again next year.
	Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, local authorities have the power to close off rights of way for the purposes of crime prevention. To get these powers, they need to apply to Department for Environment Farming and Rural Affairs Secretary of State for a particular area to be designated under the Act. Areas have been designated in Halton, Knowsley, Manchester, Salford and Oldham.

Animal Experiments

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to ensure that animal experiments taking place at universities are legal and ethical.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 22 June 2004
	The use of animals in scientific procedures in the UK, whether at universities or elsewhere, is strictly regulated by the Home Office in accordance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
	Licences are only granted for animal experiments undertaken for specified permissible purposes. There has to be no alternative to using animals, and the likely benefits of the work have to outweigh the adverse effects on the animals concerned. The number of animals used and any suffering that may be caused have to be minimised.
	Any proposal to conduct a programme of animal experiments has first to be considered by the local ethical review process at the establishment concerned. A licence application is only submitted to the Home Office once those involved in that local process are satisfied that it can be justified.
	Applications received by the Home Office are rigorously assessed by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate, to ensure the criteria in the 1986 Act are met. Inspectors are either medical or veterinary graduates, and advise the Secretary of State on whether and on what terms licence authorities should be granted. Some applications are also referred for advice to the Animal Procedures Committee.
	Establishments where licensed animal experiments are conducted are visited regularly by the inspectorate, to monitor progress and ensure compliance with licence authorities. The majority of visits of inspections are without notice. Appropriate action is taken should irregularities or breaches of licence conditions come to light.

Asylum/Immigration

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the likely impact of section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 on asylum seekers who have (a) been trafficked to the UK, (b) been smuggled into the UK and (c) suffered rape or torture or other serious traumatic experiences before arrival in the UK; and what written documents he expects such asylum seekers to produce as evidence of their circumstances.

Des Browne: Assessment of the impact of section 55 is integral to the close monitoring of the operation of the policy since implementation on 8 January 2003. As part of these arrangements the National Asylum Support Service maintains an open dialogue with the voluntary sector agencies, local government and other stakeholders. The Government have reviewed section 55 in the light of experience of its operation, the changing pattern of asylum applications since implementation, concerns raised about the impact of the policy, and most recently in the light of the Court of Appeal judgment of 21 May 2004 in the case of Limbuela and others.
	Each case is decided individually on its merits. Those who can give a credible account, with or without supporting documents, that their asylum claim was made within three days of arrival in the United Kingdom will normally be eligible to apply for National Asylum Support Service (MASS) support. Families with children and those who can show that they would suffer treatment contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) receive support even if they did not make their asylum claim as soon as reasonably practicable.
	No evidence has been produced to indicate that the categories of asylum seekers listed in the question have been adversely affected by the provisions of section 55.

Asylum/Immigration

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the proportion of asylum seekers subject to section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 decision who were granted access to asylum support in (a) the third quarter of 2003, (b) the last quarter of 2003 and (c) the first quarter of 2004.

Des Browne: Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 came into force on 8 January 2003, restricting the availability of National Asylum Support Service (NASS) support to those asylum seekers who make an asylum application as soon as reasonably practicable. From 17 December 2003, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced that those who could give a credible account that their asylum claim was made within three days of arrival in the United Kingdom will normally be accepted as having applied as soon as reasonably practicable.
	The table shows the proportions of asylum seekers that were considered eligible for support under section 55, in quarter 3 and 4 of 2003, and quarter 1 of 2004:
	
		
			 Quarter Total cases referred for a section 55 decision(14) Number eligible for support under section 55(14) Proportion eligible for support under section 55 1 (percentage) 
		
		
			 Q3 2003 4,260 445 10 
			 Q4 2003 3,020 380 13 
			 Q1 2004 2,650 1,250 47 
		
	
	(14) Figures rounded to the nearest 5, and do not include dependants.
	Information on the number of asylum seekers supported by NASS is published in the quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin, "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom", available from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Cannabis

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are to repeat the longitudinal studies of cannabis smoking completed in the 1960s and 1970s to take account of the increased potency of today's cannabis.

Caroline Flint: We have no plans to replicate such studies. We rely upon the advice of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which is based upon a wide-ranging review of the available research. It is the council's view that there is no clear evidence that variants of cannabis with higher levels of its main psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cause more health problems. The council will continue to monitor the emerging international research on this issue very carefully.

Community Cohesion

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to encourage community cohesion.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office is working with a range of partners to build community cohesion. It is jointly supporting the Community Cohesion Pathfinder Programme—with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)—under which local authorities and the voluntary and community sector are working together in 14 areas to build cohesion. The programme is generating examples of best practice in breaking down barriers between and within communities relating to race, faith, age and gender. The lessons learnt from this programme will be evaluated and shared across all local authorities in the country.
	The Home Office and partners have issued guidance to local authorities on how to measure and build community cohesion, and is working with the independent Community Cohesion Panel and other Departments to mainstream cohesion into Government policy. For example, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) will shortly issue guidance on community cohesion standards for schools; the local authority comprehensive performance assessment for 2005 will cover community cohesion; and the Positive Activities for Young People Programme, funded by several Departments, according to a funding formula which takes account of community cohesion issues among other matters.
	Other Government policies contribute to improving community cohesion. The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund supports cohesion by working towards increased employment, reduced crime, and better educational attainment in deprived areas of England. Civil Renewal and community cohesion complement each other—involving local people in identifying and solving the problems that affect their communities empowers communities to deal with change in society; and cohesion helps to build strengthened communities in which people come together to deal with their common concerns.
	The ODPM Select Committee has found in its recent inquiry into social cohesion that there has been significant progress since the disturbances of 2001, and the Home Office will be giving careful consideration to the Committee's recommendations in deciding how to take the community cohesion agenda forward.

Crime Reduction

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he expects to (a) receive and (b) publish the concluding assessments of the effectiveness of each project funded under the Crime Reduction Programme.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 June 2004
	The Home Office has published a wide range of research reports containing results from evaluation of crime reduction initiatives funded under the Crime Reduction Programme (CRP). These include reports on the reducing burglary initiative, the CCTV initiative, the targeted policing initiative, the 'On Track' intervention aimed at children at risk of getting involved in crime and treatment of offenders. The reports have been deposited in the Library.
	The CRP consists of many strands and many individual projects under these strands. The CRP publication plans are designed to bring together information from the various individual projects, with an emphasis of provision of material that will provide good practice guidance for practitioners. It is expected that reports containing the results from the CRP, with the exception of the final results from the restorative justice strand and the evaluation of Probation Pathfinder Offending Behaviour Programmes, will have been published by the end of 2004.
	It is expected that the final evaluation report of the Probation Pathfinder Offending Behaviour Programme will appear in the summer of 2005. The CRP evaluation of restorative justice relates to a project commencing late in the course of the CRP and depends for its final assessment of effectiveness on a two-year reconviction rate study. This means that the final report is due towards the end of 2006, with publication in 2007. However, interim reports are planned for publication in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Crime/Policing (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend CCTV coverage in villages in the Chorley constituency.

Hazel Blears: There are currently funds available for the installation of CCTV in locations, including villages, under the Building Safer Communities Fund. This Fund is allocated by the Home Office to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships to enable them to tackle local crime priorities through a number of interventions, including CCTV.
	It is open to the Chorley Community Safety Partnership to decide whether they wish to extend CCTV coverage in their area.

Criminal Justice Act

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of section 127 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 on industrial relations in the Prison Service.

Paul Goggins: Our assessment is that section 127 is unnecessary if there is a binding employee relations agreement.

Drink Spiking

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many incidents of drink spiking were reported in England in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what research his Department is funding into drug assisted rape and sexual assault; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what campaigns his Department is funding to warn people of the danger of drug rape; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We take the use of drugs and other substances to assist in sexual offending and allegations of it very seriously. It is an offence to administer a stupefying substance with the intent of overpowering the victim to engage him or her in sexual activity. Penalties for this crime were recently substantially increased in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to a maximum of 10 years.
	An average 450 allegations of this type are investigated by the Forensic Science Service annually. Of these only between 1 and 2 per cent. show any sign of an unexplained sedative drug. We do not hold central information about the number of cases reported.
	The Home office is not currently funding research into drug assisted Rape.
	An Action Plan was launched in July 2002 to implement the recommendations of the HMCPSI/HMIC joint investigation into the investigation and prosecution of cases involving allegations of rape. This includes 'drug rape' and work with the Association of Chief Police Officers has seen improved guidance to the police. This includes a joint police and Crown Prosecution Service training package and the Joint Operational Police Instructions (JOPI) which were published in June 2003. The "Core Investigative Doctrine" and the "Sexual Offences Investigation Manual of Guidance" are also currently being updated by Centrex.
	The Government are funding a three year national drugs campaign, FRANK, which uses TV, radio and print to provide a wide range of information on drugs issues. Its target group is young people and their parents. Information about spiked drinks and the use of substances for sex offences has been included where relevant in support materials provided to stakeholders and local community organisers.
	The Safer Clubbing Guidance is to be updated later this year and will specifically contain guidance on the prevention of, and provision of information on, drug assisted sexual assault. This guidance is distributed to licensed premises, the police, licensing authorities and the local authority via Drug Action Teams.

European Community Treaty

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the measures adopted under Title IV of the Treaty establishing the European Community which the UK has opted into.

Des Browne: The policy of the United Kingdom towards participating in measures under Title IV of the treaty establishing the European Community is to review each proposed measure individually and to opt in when it is in the interests of the UK to do so. In a reply to a written question from the right hon. Member for Penrith and the Borders (David Maclean) on 12 March 1999, my right hon. Friend Jack Straw as Home Secretary confirmed his statement that day at the Justice and Home Affairs Council that, while we would maintain our frontier controls in line with the Amsterdam Treaty Protocol, we wished to co-operate in all other Justice and Home Affairs areas which did not conflict with this objective. In relation to Title IV, my right hon. Friend highlighted areas in which the UK would look to participate as asylum and civil judicial co-operation measures and measures to control illegal immigration where these did not conflict with maintenance of national immigration controls. In accordance with these stated principles, the UK has, to date, notified its intention to participate in a number of EU proposals, which include the following:
	Council Regulation establishing EURODAC (electronic fingerprinting database);
	Council Directive on mutual recognition of decisions concerning expulsion of third country nationals;
	Council Decision on a funding programme for Borders, Visas, Asylum and Immigration Co-operation (ARGO);
	Council Directive to harmonise financial penalties on carriers bringing third country nationals into the EU;
	Negotiating mandate for a Parallel Dublin Agreement with Iceland and Norway;
	Council Decision to sign/conclude a parallel Dublin agreement with Norway and Iceland;
	Negotiating mandate for a readmission agreement with Sri Lanka; Negotiating mandate for a readmission agreement with Morocco;
	Negotiating mandate for a readmission agreement with Pakistan;
	Negotiating mandate for a readmission agreement with Russia;
	Proposal for a Council Decision establishing a European Refugee Fund;
	Proposal for a Council Directive laying down minimum standards for the reception of applicants for asylum in member states;
	Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the member state responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the member states by a third country national [Dublin II];
	Recommendation for Council Decision authorising the Commission to negotiate with the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria a Readmission Agreement Between the European Community and Algeria;
	Recommendation for Council Decision authorising the Commission to negotiate with the Republic of Albania a readmission agreement between the European Community and Albania;
	Recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the Commission to negotiate with the People's Republic of China a readmission agreement between the European Community and China;
	Recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the Commission to negotiate with the Republic of Turkey a readmission agreement between the European Community and Turkey;
	Initiative for a Council Directive defining the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence;
	Council Directive on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons and measures promoting balance of efforts between member states in receiving such persons and bearing the consequences;
	Council Regulation amending Regulation 1683/95 laying down a uniform format for visas;
	Council Regulation laying down a uniform format for residence permits for third-country nationals;
	Council Decision authorising the Commission to negotiate with Denmark the conclusion of an Agreement concerning the criteria and mechanisms for establishing the state responsible for examining a request for asylum lodged in Denmark or any other ED member state, and to negotiate with Iceland and Norway the conclusion of a Protocol pursuant to Article 12 of the Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the criteria and mechanisms for establishing the State responsible for examining a request for asylum lodged in a member state or in Iceland or Norway;
	Council Directive laying down minimum standards for the reception of applicants for asylum in the member states;
	Council Directive on minimum standards for the qualification and status of third country nationals or stateless persons as refugees or as persons who otherwise need international protection and the content of the protection granted;
	Council Directive on the obligation of carriers to communicate passenger data;
	Council Regulation on the Creation of an Immigration Liaison Officers Network.

Heritage (Cornwall)

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to ensure that the culture and heritage of Cornwall is protected.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 18 June 2004
	In 2002, the Government recognised the Cornish language under the Council of Europe Charter for Minority or Regional Languages, which provides a framework for the protection of such languages. The Government office for the south-west is working closely with Cornwall county council and representatives of Cornish language organisations on a strategy for development of the language. The Home Office is currently considering representations from a number of Cornish organisations that the Government should include the Cornish within the scope of their reporting under the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

Identity Cards

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he will ensure that identity cards have sufficient data capacity to make them future proof.

Des Browne: Work is under way to establish the functional requirements for identity cards including the data storage requirements. It has not yet been established what data will be stored on the card but the specifications will be sufficient so that there is space for whatever data and biometrics need to be stored. If in the future higher capacity cards are needed, this can be accommodated as cards are renewed when they reach their expiry date.

Identity Cards

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions will be in place for (a) visually impaired people who are physically unable to register for identity cards and (b) individuals whose work has worn away their fingertips and who are physically unable to register for identity cards.

Des Browne: Recording biometrics from all applicants will help to ensure that an individual does not establish more than one identity in the scheme.
	Schedule 1 of the draft Identity Cards Bill sets out the information that may be recorded on the National Identity Register. This includes "identifying information" which includes biometric information. Clause 38(4) of the draft Identity Cards Bill allows for exceptional circumstances which would include people who may not be able to register biometric information.
	The precise arrangements for making an application for an ID card, including the provisions that will be put in place for people who may have difficulty in registering biometric information, will be decided as the identity cards programme progresses, following further preparatory work and testing of different options.

Illegal Weapons

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of illegal weapons held by (a) criminal gangs and (b) terrorist organisations in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 24 June 2004
	We do not have estimates of the number of illegally-held weapons. We do not consider producing an estimate would be of any benefit as there is no basis on which to make such an estimate and any figure is likely to be highly inaccurate.
	Information relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland (Alistair Darling) and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Paul Murphy).

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in finding the file of Mr. Warren Brien Otieno, Home Office reference 0179019, a constituent; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Mr. Otieno's file, Home Office reference 0179019 has been traced. The case is being progressed and Mr. Otieno will be contacted in the near future.

Judicial Review

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which decisions by his Department were challenged by judicial review in the session (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02; and in how many cases the (i) Department's decision was upheld by the court, (ii) court found for the applicant, (iii) Department submitted to the judgment and (iv) Department appealed successfully against the decision.

Des Browne: This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum Seekers (Somalia)

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether failed asylum seekers being returned to Somalia are escorted for any part of the journey.

Des Browne: Failed asylum seekers who are returned to Somalia are escorted for their journey from the UK to Dubai. Their onward travel from Dubai to Somalia is unescorted.

Motorcycles

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorcycles have been confiscated and crushed by the police in the last year.

Caroline Flint: This information is not collected centrally.

National Criminal Intelligence Service

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what quantifiable progress the National Criminal Intelligence Service has made against its performance targets in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: In 2002–03, the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) achieved or exceeded all but two of the targets against its key objectives. In terms of specific successes, seizures of Class A drugs involving NCIS intelligence increased significantly on 2001–02. NCIS increased their contribution to European seizures of Class A drugs by a third. The number of assessments in support of the concerted inter-drugs agency action exceeded both the original and the revised higher level targets. Full performance details are listed in the annual report.
	Quantifiable progress for 2003–04 includes:
	A 5.6 per cent. increase in intelligence reports disseminated in respect of organised immigration crime;
	A 75 per cent. increase in intelligence reports on money laundering and proceeds of crime.
	Full details of NCIS performance against its targets will appear in the annual report.

National Criminal Intelligence Service

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the National Criminal Intelligence Service intends to publish annual reports for (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04.

Caroline Flint: The National Criminal Intelligence Service annual report for 2002–03 was published on 24 June 2004. This was the organisation's first such report as a non-departmental public body, working with the National Audit Office. It's completion took longer during this transitional year.
	The report for 2003–04 is on schedule and due for publication by September.

Parliamentary Questions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to answer parliamentary questions (a) 165196, (b) 164093, (c) 163121 and (d) 163122 tabled by the hon. Member for Southend, West.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 30 April 2004
	The hon. Member received replies on the following dates to the questions cited above.
	165196—30 April 2004, Official Report, column 1291W
	164093—22 June 2004, Official Report, column 1366W
	163121—28 April 2004, Official Report, column 1101W
	163122—14 May 2004, Official Report, column 606W.

Parliamentary Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will answer the question tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South on 29 January, ref. 152147.

Fiona Mactaggart: The question cited, 152147, was actually asked of the Department for Work and Pensions. Home Office officials have spoken to DWP officials and have been informed that they will be answering the question shortly.

Passports

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK passports were recorded as lost or stolen in (a) 2003, (b) the first quarter of 2004 and (c) since the introduction of secure delivery.

Des Browne: On 8 December 2003 the UK Passport Service (UKPS) introduced comprehensive new arrangements for reporting and recording the total number of passports which were lost, stolen or recovered. Based on the arrangements in place at the time, UKPS records show that 184,301 passports were recorded as being lost, stolen or unavailable in 2003.
	Under the new more comprehensive reporting and recording arrangements, the total number of lost and stolen passports reported to the UKPS in the first quarter of 2004 was 73,451 passports.
	Secure delivery was introduced progressively from 9 February 2004.
	The number of passports lost in the post are a small proportion of the total number of passports reported lost and stolen. In 2003, prior to the introduction of secure delivery, 3,593 passports were lost in the post. 188 passports have been lost in the four-and-a-half months since the introduction of secure delivery, the majority as a result of two incidents of theft of numbers of passports from mail depots.

Substance Misuse

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what comparison has been made of the success rates for patients treated by general practitioners for substance misuse and for those provided treatment by drugs case managers under the Criminal Justice Intervention Programme.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 24 June 2004
	All elements of the Criminal Justice Interventions Programme have been subject to, or are currently undergoing, evaluation by external evaluators. These evaluations seek to identify both the impact of the different interventions and also draw out lessons around implementation and delivery which feed into ongoing performance improvement.
	The operation of Criminal Justice Integrated Teams (CJITs), which provide case management for drug misusing offenders in the programme, are being evaluated as part of the overall evaluation. But it is unlikely that the evaluation will compare directly the operation of CJITs with the very important care provided by GPs. This reflects the difference in roles between GPs and CJIT workers, in particular in relation to the wider co-ordination roles of CJIT staff.

Worker Registration Scheme

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications the Home Office has received from new EU citizens under the worker registration scheme since 1 May.

Des Browne: We will be making information about the effect of EU enlargement available on a regular basis, in an open and transparent way, when it is appropriate and meaningful to do so.

Working Holidaymaker Visa Scheme

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in the UK pursuant to being issued a visa under the working holidaymaker scheme have subsequently applied for leave to remain permanently.

Des Browne: The working holidaymaker (WHM) scheme is a temporary immigration category. There is no provision in the Immigration Rules for those granted leave to enter as a working holidaymaker to be granted indefinite leave to remain in this capacity.
	Working holidaymakers may switch into work permit employment if they have spent at least 12 months within the United Kingdom and meet the necessary criteria.
	No data is held on the number of working holidaymakers granted further leave to remain for the purpose of work permit employment, who subsequently apply for indefinite leave to remain on that basis.
	An announcement on reforms to the WHM scheme will be made shortly.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Indonesia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) monetary aid and (b) aid in kind his Department has (i) pledged and (ii) delivered to Aceh in each month since May 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID assistance in Aceh is provided through the United Nations Office For Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC). Since May 2003 DFID has provided £1,080,000 to OCHA and £750,000 to ICRC to support their humanitarian and emergency assistance programmes in Indonesia, including those in Aceh. DFID continues to monitor the situation in Aceh and are in regular contact with the UN, which co-ordinates humanitarian activities there. Under the terms of our grants, DFID does not require these agencies to provide monthly breakdowns of expenditure covering different elements of their programmes.

Bilateral Projects

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will break down the project value of each bilateral project by risk level as defined in the departmental annual report.

Hilary Benn: I have arranged for copies of the document entitled 'Breakdown of Bilateral Aid Projects by Risk level for 2003–04' to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Civil Society Organisations

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria are used by the Department to ascertain the relative effectiveness of civil society organisations through which it channels aid.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID supports civil society organisations (CSOs) in a number of ways, including through centrally managed funding schemes such as the Civil Society Challenge Fund and Partnership Programme Agreements, and through individual country offices, country programmes and humanitarian assistance. CSOs play an important role in eliminating world poverty and are important partners for DFID in meeting that objective. DFID's support is based on CSOs' performance against specific agreed programmatic or strategic outcomes, rather than by assessing CSOs one against another. A range of monitoring, evaluation and review procedures are used.

EU Development Programme

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage contribution the UK made to the European Union development programme in 2003–04; what projections he has made for 2004–05 to 2006–07; what percentage of the EU development programme is projected to go to low income countries in each year; and what definition of low income country the EU uses in this calculation.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The forecast percentages of the indicative UK contributions to the EC aid budget for 2003–04 to 2006–07 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of EC aid attributable to the UK 
		
		
			 2003–04 19.09 
			 2004–05 17.70 
			 2005–06 17.20 
			 2006–07 17.34 
		
	
	Source:
	HM Treasury.
	These figures do not include payments to the discretionary European Development Fund (EDF), for which the UK share is set at 12.7 per cent. for EDF 9. The latest available figure for the percentage of EC aid going to Low Income Countries (LICs) is 42 per cent. in 2002. This figure was calculated by DFID using the Development Assistance Committee definition of LICs—countries with a GNI per capita below $760 in 1998.
	Actual EC aid spending levels are heavily dependent on political priorities, international circumstances and Commission and partner country capacity. DFID therefore does not produce forecasts for the poverty focus for future years.

HIV/AIDS

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the percentage change in the rate of HIV infection among young people aged 15 to 24 since June 2001 in (a) Asia and (b) Africa.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not made its own assessment of the percentage change in the rate of HIV infection among young people aged 15 to 24 years since June 2001 in (a) Asia and (b) Africa. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) provides this technical data and we support their work. Their 'Report on the global AIDS epidemic 2004', will be published on 6 July, I will write to the hon. Member shortly after with this information.

HIV/AIDS

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the percentage of young people aged between 15 to 24 years in (a) the United States, (b) the Russian Federation and (c) Africa who have access to information, education and services to reduce their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not made its own estimate of the percentage of young people aged between 15 to 24 years in (a) the United States, (b) the Russian Federation and (c) Africa who have access to information, education and services to reduce their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) provides this technical data and we support their work. Their 'Report on the global AIDS epidemic 2004' will be published on 6 July. I will write to the hon. Member shortly after with this detailed information.

International Aid

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in discussions with (a) the World Bank and (b) other countries on developing indicators that will allow system-wide comparison of effectiveness of international aid; what indicators are in place; and what plans he has to introduce new indicators.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The ultimate indicators of whether aid is effective are the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These were agreed by 150 countries in 2000; they represent an unprecedented commitment by these countries to work together to improve the well-being of the world's poor. If aid is effective, it will result in progress towards the MDGs. For this reason, the MDGs are explicitly included in DFID's Public Service Agreement, and we monitor progress towards the goals every year in our Departmental Report.
	Sometimes DFID may want to compare the effectiveness of individual agencies' aid. The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development is the major forum where this happens. Only bilateral donors are members of the DAC, although multilateral donors such as the World Bank have observer status on some committees.
	The DAC conducts periodic "peer reviews", where the development policies and efforts of individual DAC members are critically examined by other members. Each country is reviewed approximately once every four years. These reviews provide a qualitative indication of the aid effectiveness of various donor agencies. More specifically, the DAC has also elaborated a framework of 13 indicators designed to measure objective evidence of progress on harmonisation and alignment. Information against these indicators is currently being collected in developing countries.
	As a contribution to the debate over what constitutes effective aid, DFID has also developed a framework to assess the effectiveness of multilateral institutions. The framework was developed in consultation with our multilateral and bilateral partners, including the World Bank.
	DFID has no plans to introduce new indicators of aid effectiveness. Instead we will work with others, especially through the DAC, to refine and improve existing internationally accepted indicators.

Iraq

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of non-governmental organisations operating in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: There is a large and growing number of emerging Iraqi non-governmental organisations (NGOs). DFID is providing £5 million project support to help with their development. Up to the handover of sovereignty about 1,800 organisations, local and international, had applied to register as NGOs with the Iraqi Ministry of Planning and Development Co-operation. DFID has helped to facilitate registration for international NGOs.
	The number of international NGOs working in much of Iraq has been low for some months because of security concerns, although a number continue to operate through their Iraqi or regional staff.

Iraq

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with representatives of non-governmental organisations on the security situation in Iraq after 30 June; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID maintains close and regular contact with UK-based non-governmental organisations. The security situation in Iraq remains one of their central concerns.

Millennium Development Goals

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) methods, (b) data sources and (c) data are used for allocating development aid between the alternative channels available to the Department; and how these are used to gauge the effectiveness of each channel in progressing towards the Millennium Development Goal on Poverty.

Hilary Benn: DFID conducts an annual resource allocation process in which Ministers decide how available resources should be distributed, setting planning figures for the financial years up to the end of the Spending Review period. Resource allocation is considered in the context of strategic priorities, performance against Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets, risk and the DFID's analysis of where aid will have the biggest impact.
	DFID has developed a model to inform judgements the allocation of the bilateral aid programme between low-income countries. The model takes into account a number of criteria including poverty, population, and the policy and institutional environment. DFID also takes account of factors such as progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, other donor flows and conflict. DFID is currently considering proposals for a similar model for middle-income countries.
	DFID has recently developed and is pilot testing a methodology for assessing the performance of multilateral institutions, focusing on the organisational systems that enable multilateral to achieve results on the ground. This will inform decisions on resource allocation, along with such issues as the agency's importance in contributing to poverty elimination and achieving the Millennium Development Goals and judgements about the outcomes being achieved.
	DFID draws on a number of data sources to inform its resource allocation including data produced by the World Bank and the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD).

PRISM System

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the PRISM system allows projects to be ranked according to effectiveness in relation to achievement of the millennium development goals on poverty.

Hilary Benn: DFID's Performance Reporting Information System for Management (PRISM) records a series of Project Information Markers (PIMs) against every eligible project, which links the project's purpose to its contribution towards one or more of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
	The likely success of each project is also recorded in PRISM using an annual performance rating for purpose and outcomes for all eligible projects. This can be cross-referenced with the PIMs; which means that the projects can be organised by their contribution to the different MDGs and ranked according to their likelihood of success.

Project Risks/Benefits

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the evidential basis is for the statement in the Technical Note to PSA 2003–06 that there is a clear relationship between the level of risk attached to a project and the magnitude of the anticipated benefits.

Hilary Benn: By their nature, there is an expectation that a higher proportion of low-risk projects will meet some or all of their objectives than is the case with medium or high-risk projects. Evidence from DFID's PRISM system bears this out: in the 12 months to end December 2003, 75 per cent. of low-risk projects were evaluated as successful, compared with 57 per cent. of medium-risk projects and 35 per cent. of high-risk projects.
	However, where risks are managed sensibly, high-risk projects can have very high potential benefits, such as making an exceptional contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). High-risk work contributing to the peace process in Nepal and to reducing communal tensions in Indonesia would be two examples here. High risk, high return is commonly achieved with innovative or experimental projects, and even partial success on some high-risk projects will have a high impact on poverty. Examples of successful high-risk projects include: the Africa Private Infrastructure Financing Facility, Acholi Land Conflict Resolution (Uganda) and Guyana Enterprise Privatisation.
	Clearly, it does not automatically follow that high risk means high potential return. However, given the nature of the environments in which DFID works, it is important that we do not follow only the safe options. A certain amount of risk-taking is inevitable and essential if DFID is to deliver on our demanding Public Service Agreement targets. In Sierra Leone and Nigeria, for example, a low risk approach would have implied a very low level of engagement.

Resource Allocation

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made against the recommendations of the Strategic Review of Resource Allocation Priorities of January 2003, with specific reference to items 1, 2 and 4 of section 3.1.

Hilary Benn: DFID has made significant progress towards a resource allocation system that targets countries where aid will have the biggest impact. Resources are matched to objectives and priorities through an annual resource allocation round. This first considers broad priorities and allocates available resources between DFID divisions. Each division then reports on progress against its Directors' Delivery Plans (DDPs) and makes detailed resource allocation proposals. These are assessed to ensure that they set out a credible strategy for achieving Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets and objectives and that progress is being made. Programme allocations are based on assessment of the DDPs and their annual reviews.
	In line with the Strategic Review of Resource Allocation Priorities (SRRAP) recommendations a model has been introduced to review country allocations to low-income countries in terms of poverty and policy and institutional performance. The tool is used only to inform resource allocation; the final allocation being subject to a wider set of considerations. DFID is considering extending the SRRAP approach to middle-income countries.
	DFID is also developing an objective, evidence based system for assessing and monitoring multilateral effectiveness to inform financial allocations. This focuses on the organisational systems that enable multilateral to achieve results on the ground, including: corporate governance, strategic planning, resource management and operational management. The assessment will inform resource allocation, alongside assessment of the importance of institutions to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and of expected performance in achieving development outcomes.
	A review of Administration Costs is currently considering options for improving the allocation and management of Administration Costs to ensure that these are as well targeted as possible on achieving priority objectives.

Resource Allocation

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made on implementing the recommendations made in section 3.3 of the Strategic Review of Resource Allocation Priorities of January 2003.

Hilary Benn: As recommended, DFID has developed and is using a test of the relative effectiveness of multilateral to inform financial allocations. The approach focuses on the organisational systems that enable multilateral to achieve results on the grounds. Other factors are also taken into account in making financial allocations, including the size of the agency and the agency's importance in contributing to poverty elimination and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Staff Costs

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the ratio of staff costs to aid delivered (a) directly by the Department, (b) through the EU budget, (c) through civil society organisations and (d) through other multilateral and bilateral channels was in the last year for which figures are available.

Hilary Benn: The overall ratio of staff costs to programme in 2002–03 was 1.5 per cent. For DFID's European Union Department, which is responsible for aid resources we provide through the EC, the ratio in 2002–03 was 0.07 per cent. For the department responsible for aid provided centrally through UK civil society organisations, the ratio was 0.8 per cent. The ratio for departments dealing with multilateral channels other than the EU was 0.2 per cent., while that for country programmes was 1 per cent. Changes in DFID's Administration Costs from the start of 2003–04 to include costs that were previously chargeable to the programme will increase these ratios; detailed figures are not yet available.
	These ratios do not include the staff costs incurred by multilateral and civil society organisations in managing the resources provided by DFID.

Widows

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research his Department has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned on the number of women widowed as a result of conflict.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not conducted or commissioned research specifically to determine the number of women widowed as a result of conflict. However, the issue of women affected by conflict is important to DFID, and support is given to agencies such as the United Nations Development Fund for Women and the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, to address these issues.

CABINET OFFICE

Magistrates (Wirral)

Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the recruitment of magistrates in the Wirral.

Douglas Alexander: When considering magisterial appointments for the Wirral Bench, I am advised by my Wirral Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace. The procedures on magisterial appointments undertaken by the Duchy Office are the same as those used by the Department for Constitutional Affairs in the remainder of the Country. Regular meetings between the Duchy Office and the Department for Constitutional Affairs ensure a continued close working relationship and consistency of approach on magisterial issues.

Public Appointments (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the process is for selection of the High Sheriff in Lancashire.

Douglas Alexander: As Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, I approve the appointment of the High Sheriff of Lancashire each year. The Lord-Lieutenant for Lancashire, as the representative of Her Majesty the Queen, makes a recommendation to me after taking soundings from the local area.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Affordable and Social Housing

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) affordable and (b) social housing units were available in rural areas in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Keith Hill: Information is not held centrally on the number of affordable housing dwellings, nor does the information available specify whether social housing dwellings are located within rural areas of a local authority.
	A table presenting information reported by local authorities in England on the number social housing dwellings at 1 April has been made available in the Library of the House. Figures are presented for local authorities categorised as either "mixed rural" or "deep rural", according to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's classification list.

Brownfield Sites

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list each of the planning applications for development on brownfield land that he or his predecessor has refused since May 1997.

Keith Hill: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, or his predecessor, has refused 178 called in planning applications or recovered appeals for development involving previously developed land between April 1999 and March 2004. A list of these developments has been made available in the libraries of the House. Comprehensive information on called in applications and recovered appeals is not available for the period May 1997 to March 1999.

Building Control Surveyors

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what procedures are in place to assess the competency of work carried out by building control surveyors;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulatory regime for building control standards; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how the rate of compliance with the building regulations in the construction of new homes is assessed by his Department.

Phil Hope: Responsibility for the delivery of competent building control rests with the local authority and approved inspector building control bodies. It is for each building control body to decide on the qualifications and experience of inspectors employed by them. They are encouraged to work within the framework of best practice established in the Building Control Performance Standards published in 1999 and endorsed by Ministers.
	In May 2000 the Building Control Performance Standards Advisory Group was established to keep the Performance Standards under review and to advise on performance indicators, the effective delivery of building control and procedures for the monitoring of all types of building control bodies. Officials of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister continue to play a full part in the Advisory Group.
	Further work is currently underway, with the assistance of external advisers, to assist the Advisory Group in the development of a series of performance indicators to assist building control bodies to assess their own service quality, and to develop a means of identifying comparative performance.

Building Control Surveyors

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from the Building Control Standards Advisory Group on the effect of the introduction of competition for building control surveys on the rate of compliance with the building regulations.

Phil Hope: No recent discussions have taken place with the Building Control Performance Standards Advisory Group nor has the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received any representations from them. The Group are welcome to raise with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister at any time any matters relating to standards in building control.

Building Control Surveyors

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what support his Department provides to the Building Control Standards Advisory Group.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister provides the venue for meetings of the Advisory Group, sends representatives to its meetings, and is funding work on the development of key performance indicators.

Care Homes

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what regulations apply to residential homes for the elderly in respect of the number of satellite dishes that can be placed onto the side of the home; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The regulations for the number of satellite dishes applying to residential homes depends on the physical height of the building. For buildings less than 15 metres (approximately 50 feet) in height, one satellite dish is permitted; for taller buildings, two dishes are permitted.

Coalfields Regeneration Trust

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what (a) the total and (b) his Department's funding was for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust for financial years 2000–01 and 2001–02;
	(2)  what (a) the total and (b) his Department's funding is projected to be for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust for financial year 2005–06;
	(3)  what funding plans his Department has for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust in financial years (a) 2006–07 and (b) 2009–10.

Yvette Cooper: Funding for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust has been provided as follows:
	
		£ million
		
			  ODPM funding Total funding 
		
		
			 2000–01 15.650 20.170 
			 2001–02 23.300 27.852 
			 2002–03 14.996 18.432 
			 2003–04 17.000 20.993 
			 2004–05 17.650 22.589 
			 2005–06 17.650 21.078 
		
	
	The total figures include funding provided by the Scottish Executive, for the Trust in Scotland, the Welsh Assembly for the Trust in Wales and other funding sources.
	Decisions by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on funding for the Trust in England beyond March 2006 will be taken in the light of the on-going Spending Review, the Trust's continued good performance and evidence of the beneficial impact of the Trust on the coalfield communities.

Coalfields Regeneration Trust

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what (a) the total and (b) his Department's funding was for the National Coalfields Programme in financial years 2003–04 and 2005–06;
	(2)  what funding plans his Department has for the National Coalfields Programme in financial years 2006–07 to 2009–10.

Yvette Cooper: The National Coalfields Programme is funded by Government and delivered by English Partnerships working with the Regional Development Agencies. Actual investment in the programme's sites for 2003–04 and planned investment in subsequent years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2003–04 46.0 
			 2004–05 54.0 
			 2005–06 80.0 
			 2006–07 75.0 
			 2007–08 50.0 
			 2008–09 25.0 
			 2009–10 15.0 
		
	
	The figures from 2004–05 onwards are for planned gross expenditure. They exclude reinvestment of receipts from the sale of sites, and are subject to on-going review.

Coalfields Regeneration Trust

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what (a) the total and (b) his Department's funding was for the Coalfields Enterprise Fund in each financial year since 1999–2000; and what the projected funding is for 2005–06;
	(2)  what funding plans his Department has for the Coalfields Enterprise Fund in (a) 2006–07 and (b) 2009–10.

Yvette Cooper: The Coalfields Enterprise Fund is a venture capital fund targeted at the former Coalfield areas. The fund is expected to operate for the next 10 years. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister made a one-off investment of £10 million into the fund in 2004–05.

Departmental Advertising Costs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department and its predecessors spent on advertising, marketing and publicity in each year since May 1997, broken down by main subject head.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. In the financial year 2002–03 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent a total of £3,346,943 on advertising and £3,718,767 on marketing and publicity. In the financial year 2003–04 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent £4,435,533 on advertising, £639,996 on marketing, and £718,898 on publicity. In the financial year 2004–05 the amounts the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has committed to date are £2,686,974 on advertising, £235,441 on marketing and £372,759 on publicity.

Departmental Consultancy Costs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department and its predecessors spent on external consultants and advisers in each year since May 1997, broken down by main subject head.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 24 May 2004, Official Report, column 1433W for the expenditure incurred by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister since its creation in May 2002.
	The value of spend for the predecessor Department, DTLR is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2000–01 98,700,000 
			 2001–02 119,022,000 
		
	
	These figures include spend by the former Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Figures for the previous three years and a breakdown by subject head can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure (Entertainment)

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his latest estimate is of the amount spent by his Department on official entertainment in each year from 1996–97 to 2004–05.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created following the machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. The figures in the following table show how much the Office spent on official entertainment in 2002–03 and 2003–04. Details of the planned expenditure for 2004–05 are not yet available, but are expected to be on similar lines to earlier years.
	
		Entertainment
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2002–03 3,350 
			 2003–04 1,869 
		
	
	All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in "Government Accounting".
	The expenditure figures for the Government Offices and the Office's executive agencies for official entertainment are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Election Costs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of costs of holding elections (a) by all-postal ballot and (b) by voting in person at the ballot box.

Nick Raynsford: Estimates of the costs of holding elections by voting in person at the ballot box have been made for budgetary purposes in respect of every general election and European Parliamentary election. They have been based on accounts submitted by returning officers in respect of previous such elections. The estimated cost of conducting this year's European Parliamentary election in England and Wales was £57 million, ignoring combination with the local elections. The costs of local elections conducted by voting in person at the ballot box are a matter for local authorities, and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not estimated them.
	So far as all-postal elections are concerned, estimates have been made of the cost of the June 2004 combined elections in the pilot regions. The estimated cost was £23.8 million. One of the objectives of conducting all-postal pilots has been to provide a reliable basis for estimating the costs of future elections conducted on that basis.

European Structural Funds

Michael Moore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much investment has gone into (a) the parliamentary constituency of Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale, (b) the Scottish Borders and (c) Scotland from European Structural Funds since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has responsibility for the European Regional Development Fund in England. The hon. Member may wish to contact the Scottish Executive for information relating to European Structural Funds investment in Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale.

Government Office for London

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost to the Government Office for London was of (a) administration and (b) disbursements of grants in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The cost of administering and disturbing grants could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Government Office for London (GOL) Running Cost (admin) expenditure in total is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1999–2000 16.0 
			 2000–01 13.2 
			 2001–02 13.2 
			 2002–03 14.1 
			 2003–04 16.7 
		
	
	Government Office for London (GOL) Programme expenditure in total is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1999–2000 2,202 
			 2000–01 1,605 
			 2001–02 2,094 
			 2002–03 2,530 
			 2003–04 2,724 
		
	
	The Programme expenditure figures represent the end-year outturn for all Programmes managed by Government Office for London (GOL). In some cases grant payments are issued by the sponsor department e.g. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister but monitored by GOL. These amounts are included in the figures supplied.

Government Office for the East Midlands

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the running costs, including staff salaries, of the Government office for the East Midlands were in each year since 2001; and what the projected costs are for the next three years.

Yvette Cooper: The running costs of the Government Office for the East Midlands since 2001 have been as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2000–01 7,335,770 
			 2001–02 8,200,800 
			 2002–03 8,835,460 
			 2003–04 10,861,000 
		
	
	The budgeted running costs for 2004–05 are £11,370,090.
	The projected allocation for 2005–06 and for the two following years is £11,069,070 based on current information and agreed funding from all Government Office Sponsor Departments. Increased expenditure over years 2000–01 to 2004–05 reflect increases in Departmental representation in the Government Office and, in particular, the increase between years 2002–03 and 2003–04 are as a result of Home Office integration into the Government Office.

Government Office for the North-West

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people work in the Government Office for the North West; how many buildings they operate in; and whether the buildings are (a) rented and (b) owned by the Office.

Yvette Cooper: Three hundred and ninty five permanent staff work in the Government Office for the North West. 254 are located in City Tower (formerly Sunley Tower), Manchester; 92 in Cunard Building, Liverpool; and 49 staff are seconded to other organisations. Both buildings are rented by the office.

Government Office for the North-West

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was of the Government office of the North West in (a) administration and (b) disbursements of grants in each of the last three years.

Yvette Cooper: The cost of administering and disbursing grants could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Government Office for the North West (GONW) running cost (admin) expenditure in total is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2001–02 14.5 
			 2002–03 15.5 
			 2003–04 16.8 
		
	
	Government Office for the North West (GONW) programme expenditure in total is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2001–02 l,349 
			 2002–03 1,425 
			 2003–04 1,511

Housing (South-West)

Robert Key: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to review his policies affecting the provision of affordable housing in the south-west.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's sustainable communities plan, published in February 2003, established regional housing boards (RHBs) in each of the nine English regions. The communities plan set out that RHBs would ensure regional housing strategies are co-ordinated with economic and planning strategies, allowing sub-regional approaches to housing problems extending beyond individual local authority boundaries.
	Affordable housing is the south-west housing body's number one priority. It announced on 24 March this year how £188.2 million will be invested over the next two years to deliver over 6,000 affordable homes.
	The provision of future funding for affordable housing in England is being considered as part of spending review 2004.

Housing (South-West)

Robert Key: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the stock in Salisbury District of (a) council dwellings, (b) housing association dwellings and (c) housing association dwellings where the district council had nomination rights was in (i) 1984, (ii) 1994 and (iii) 2004.

Keith Hill: There were 8,581 council dwellings in Salisbury district at 1 April 1984 and 7,018 council dwellings at 1 April 1994. The figures for 2004 are not yet available. There were 304 housing association dwellings in Salisbury district at 1 April 1984 and 772 housing association dwellings at 1 April 1994. The figures for 2004 are not yet available. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold information on the number of housing association dwellings where Salisbury district council has nomination rights.

Housing (South-West)

Robert Key: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice he has given Salisbury district council as the local housing authority on how to increase the quantity of affordable housing.

Keith Hill: Government Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 (PPG3) requires that local planning authorities should plan to meet the housing requirements of the whole community, including those in need of affordable and special needs housing. The provision of affordable housing is then a local authority responsibility and should be made on the basis of robust local assessments of needs. Where need is clearly demonstrated for affordable housing, this should be taken into account in formulating development plan policies and in deciding planning applications involving housing.
	Salisbury district council consulted earlier this year on supplementary planning guidance for affordable housing. Government office for the south-west (GOSW) responded, re-enforcing the need to follow national and local plan policies.
	The Government are also consulting on changes to PPG3 (Housing) in order to widen the range of housing opportunity: size, type and affordability. This will underline that the planning system must enable the provision of new homes in the right place (focusing on brownfield sites first) and at the right time to meet planned supply targets.

Housing (South-West)

Robert Key: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the role is of the Government office of the south-west in the provision of affordable housing in Salisbury District.

Keith Hill: The Government office for the south-west (GOSW) is a member of the South West Housing Body (SWHB) and provides secretariat support to the steering group, working group and regional housing forum. Along with partner organisations on the SWHB, GOSW will be heavily involved in drawing up the SW Regional Housing Strategy 2004. This document will have an influence on local policies on housing provision (including affordable housing).
	GOSW staff also assess all local authority housing strategies against standard fit for purpose criteria. The fit for purpose criteria require local authorities to ensure that provision of affordable housing is made on the basis of robust local assessments of needs. A demonstrable lack of affordable housing to meet local needs is a material planning consideration, which should be taken into account in formulating development plan policies and in deciding planning applications involving housing. Government have issued guidance on how to undertake local housing needs and market assessments.
	The Housing Corporation, who are also a member of each regional housing board (RHB) and are responsible for investing public money in housing associations, have a much more involved and direct role in the provision of affordable housing and work closely with each individual local authority and their partner housing associations.

Housing (North-West)

John Pugh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what research his Department has conducted into the availability of housing in areas of economic expansion in the North-West;
	(2)  what monitoring of building moratoriums in the North West is carried out by the Government Office for the North West.

Keith Hill: Housing provision will be one of the issues that will be examined during the development of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the North West.

Mental Health

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the recent report on social exclusion and mental health, with particular reference to discussions he has had with the Department of Health on greater support for people with mental health problems.

Yvette Cooper: The Social Exclusion Unit report "Mental Health and Social Exclusion" was published on 14 June 2004. For the first time, action will be taken across Government to address the full range of issues affecting people with mental health problems. Rather than focusing solely on medical needs, the report addresses stigma and discrimination, employment, education, housing, family needs and community participation. At national level, over 20 Government Departments, agencies and other national organisations will be involved in driving forward the report's action plan in six key areas:
	stigma and discrimination—a sustained programme to challenge negative attitudes and promote awareness of people's rights;
	the role of health and social care in tackling social exclusion—implementing evidence-based practice in vocational services and enabling reintegration into the community;
	employment—giving people with mental health problems a real chance of sustained paid work reflecting their skills and experience;
	taking part in the local community—enabling people to lead fulfilling lives the way they choose;
	getting the basics right—access to decent homes, financial advice and transport; and
	making it happen—clear arrangements for leading this programme and maintaining momentum.
	Development of the report was overseen by a Ministerial Group jointly chaired by my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Rooker and my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster, Central (Ms Winterton). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department of Health have worked closely together throughout the project, and in partnership with other Departments. The report's action plan includes commitments from the Department of Health to tackle social exclusion through:
	a sustained programme to challenge discrimination against people with mental health problems set out in "From Here to Equality" launched by Rosie Winterton on 23 June 2004;
	modernised vocational services which reflect evidence-based practice and provide a choice of services to meet diverse needs;
	working towards access to an employment adviser and social support for everyone with severe mental health problems;
	redesigning mental health day services to promote social inclusion;
	improved access to vocational and social support in primary care;
	strengthened training on social inclusion for health and social care professionals; and
	measures to tackle inequalities in access to health services.
	Implementation of the Social Exclusion Unit report will be led by a cross-government team located within the Department of Health's National Institute for Mental Health in England.

Parish Councils

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) average, (b) mean and (c) median values are for numbers of electors represented by parish councils in England.

Nick Raynsford: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, research undertaken in 1991 for the then Department of Environment sampled 1,000 parish councils in England. The research found that the 'typical' or average parish council represented 1,700 people.

Parish Councils

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what public consultation he requires to be undertaken prior to the establishment of a new parish council.

Nick Raynsford: Procedures to be followed by district councils when consulting on reviews of parish arrangements in their area including the establishment of a new parish and parish council are contained in the Local Government and Rating Act 1997.
	District councils must take steps they consider sufficient to inform interested parties, both in parished and unparished areas, of reviews and proposals. This may include advertising in the local press, notices in local libraries and, particularly in smaller areas, an individual notification to affected households.

Parish Councils

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what criteria are considered in the decision to establish a new parish council.

Nick Raynsford: The criteria for district councils to follow when considering the establishment of a new parish and parish council either by district review or public petition is contained in the Local Government and Rating Act 1997, section 22 (2) which states that regard must be had to the need to reflect the identities and interests of local communities and to secure effective and convenient local government.
	Published guidance (Environment Circular 11/97) explaining the criteria to be followed for the establishment of a new parish and parish council is available from the Stationery Office.

Parish Councils

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out the procedures to be followed in the election of parish councils.

Nick Raynsford: The election of parish councils is conducted in accordance with the Representation of the People Acts 1983 and 1985, and the Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) Rules 1986.
	Parish council elections are held every four years at the same time as ordinary district council elections or, where districts elect their councillors each year by thirds, in the same year as the election for the district ward in which the parish is situated.

Parish Councils

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the funding (a) mechanisms and (b) levels for (i) the administration and (ii) the functions of parish councils in England.

Nick Raynsford: The main source of a parish council's income is its precept on the district council. The level of precept is at the discretion of the parish, although Government have the power to cap the precept in exceptional circumstances. The precept is 'added' to the total council tax bill for those living within the parish and is collected by the district council on behalf of the parish council.

Parish Councils

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he set out the powers and responsibilities of parish councils.

Nick Raynsford: As a tier of local government, parish council's functions are set out in statute. Tabled as follows are lists of parish council's main statutory functions.
	
		Appendix 1: List of parish council powers
		
			 Function Powers and duties Statutory provisions 
		
		
			 Allotments Powers to provide allotments. Duty to provide allotment gardens if demanded unsatisfied Small Holding and Allotments Act 1908, ss. 23, 26, and 42 
			 Baths and washhouses Power to provide public baths and washhouses Public Health Act 1936, ss. 221, 222, 223 and 227 
			 Burial grounds, cemeteries and crematoria Power to acquire and maintain Power to provide Power to agree to maintain monuments and memorials Power to contribute towards expenses of cemeteries Open Spaces Act 1906, ss. 9 and 10; Local Government Act 1972, s. 214; Parish Councils and Burial Authorities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1970, s. 1 Local Government Act 1972, s. 215(6) 
			 Bus shelters Power to provide and maintain shelters Local Government (Miscellaneous Provision) Act 1953, s. 4 
			 Bye-laws Power to make bye-laws in regard to pleasure grounds Cycle Parks Baths and Washhouses Open spaces and burial grounds Mortuaries and post-mortem rooms Public Health Act 1875, s. 164 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s. 57(7) Public Health Act 1936, s. 223 Open Spaces Act 1906, s. 15 Public Health Act 1936, s. 198 
			 Charities Duty to receive accounts of parochial charities Charities Act 1960, s. 32 
			 Clocks Power to provide public clocks Parish Councils Act 1957, s. 2 
			 Closed churchyards Powers as to maintenance Local Government Act 1972, s. 215 
			 Commons and common pastures Powers in relation to enclosure, as to regulation and management, and as to providing common pasture Enclosure Act 1845; Local Government Act 1894, s. 8(4); Smallholdings and Allotments Act 1908, s. 34 
			 Conference facilities Power to provide and encourage the use of facilities Local Government Act 1972, s. 144 
			 Community centres Power to provide and equip buildings for use of clubs having athletic, social or educational objectives Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 s. 19 
			 Crime prevention Powers to spend money on various crime prevention measures Local Government and Rating Act 1997, s. 31 
			 Drainage Power to deal with ponds and ditches Public Health Act 1936, s. 260 
			 Education Right to appoint school governors Education (No. 2) Act 1986, s. 4 
			 Entertainment and the Arts Provision of entertainment and support of the arts Local Government Act 1972, s. 145 
			 General powers Power to spend up to 5 per elector each year on items that are of 'direct benefit to the area' Local Government Act 1972, s. 137 
			 Gifts Power to accept Local Government Act 1972, s. 139 
			 Highways Power to repair and maintain public footpaths and bridle-ways Power to light roads and public places Provision of litter bins Power to provide parking places for vehicles, bicycles and motor-cycles Power to enter into agreement as to dedication and widening Power to provide roadside seats and shelters, and omnibus shelters Consent of parish council required for ending maintenance of highway at public expense, or for stopping up or diversion of highway Power to complain to district council as to protection of rights of way and roadside wastes Power to provide traffic signs and other notices Power to plant trees etc. and to maintain roadside verges Highways Act 1980, ss. 43, 50 Parish Councils Act 1957, s. 3; Highways Act 1980, s. 301 Litter Act 1983, ss. 5,6 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, ss. 57, 63 Highways Act 1980, ss. 30, 72 Parish Councils Act 1957, s. 1 Highways Act 1980, ss. 47,116 Highways Act 1980, s. 130 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s. 72 Highways Act 1980, s. 96 
			 Investments Power to participate in schemes of collective investment Trustee Investments Act 1961, s. 11 
			 Land Power to acquire by agreement, to appropriate, to dispose of Power to accept gifts of land Local Government Act 1972, ss. 124, 126, 127 Local Government Act 1972, s. 139 
			 Litter Provision of receptacles Litter Act 1983, ss. 5,6 
			 Lotteries Powers to promote Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976, s. 7 
			 Mortuaries and post mortem rooms Powers to provide mortuaries and post mortem rooms Public Health Act 1936, s. 198 
			 Nuisances Power to deal with offensive ditches Public Health Act 1936, s. 260 
			 Open spaces Power to acquire land and maintain Public Health Act 1875, s. 164 Open Spaces Act 1906, ss. 9 and 10 
			 Parish property and documents Powers to direct as to their custody Local Government Act 1972, s. 226 
			 Postal and telecommunications facilities Power to pay the Post Office, British Telecommunications or any other public telecommunications operator any loss sustained providing post or telegraph office or telecommunication facilities Post Office Act 1953, s. 51; Telecommunications Act 1984, s. 97 
			 Public buildings and village hall Power to provide buildings for offices and for public meetings and assemblies Local Government Act 1972, s. 133 
			 Public conveniences Power to provide Public Health Act 1936, s. 87 
			 Recreation Power to acquire land for or to provide recreation grounds, public walks, pleasure grounds and open spaces and to manage and control them Power to provide gymnasiums, playing fields, holiday camps Provision of boating pools Public Health Act 1875, s. 164 Local Government Act 1972, Sched. 14 para. 27 Public Health Acts Amendment Act 1890 s. 44 Open Spaces Act 1906, ss. 9 and 10 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, s. 19 Public Health Act 1961, s. 54 
			 Town and country planning Right to be notified of planning applications Town and Country Planning Act 1990, Sched.1, para. 8 
			 Tourism Power to contribute to organisations encouraging Local Government Act 1972, s. 144 
			 Traffic calming Powers to contribute financially to traffic calming schemes Local Government and Rating Act 1997, s. 30 
			 Transport Powers to spend money on community transport schemes Local Government and Rating Act 1997, s. 26–29 
			 War memorials Power to maintain, repairs, protect and adapt war memorials War Memorials (Local Authorities' Powers) Act 1923, s. 1; as extended by Local Government Act 1948, s. 133 
			 Water Supply Power to utilise well, spring or stream and to provide facilities for obtaining water therefrom Public Health Act 1936, s. 1 25

Parish Councils

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he set out the procedures to be followed to establish a new parish council.

Nick Raynsford: There are two ways in which a new parish and parish council can be established. The procedures for this are set out in the Local Government and Rating Act 1997.
	Section 9 of the Act provides that a district council may conduct a review of parish arrangements in their area and make recommendations to the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister for the establishment of a new parish.
	Section 11 of the Act provides for a petition to be raised for the creation of a new parish in a previously unparished area. For a petition to be considered valid it must be signed by not less than 250 or 10 per cent. of local government electors in the area of the proposed parish, whichever is the greater.
	The Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister may by Order give effect to (with or without modifications), or may reject, the recommendations made to him under section 9 or a petition for a new parish submitted under section 11. New parishes are constituted on 1 April of any year with the elections to the parish council being held on the ordinary day of election after that date.
	Section 16 of the Act requires parishes with over 200 local government electors to establish a separate parish council.
	Published guidance (Environment Circular 11/97) setting out the procedures to be followed for the establishment of new parishes and parish councils is available from the Stationery Office.

Parish Councils

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many parish councils there are in England; and if he will list them.

Nick Raynsford: There are about 8,700 parish and town councils in England. Volume Two of the latest edition of the Municipal Year Book lists parishes under the relevant county and district council area.

Planning

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures have been introduced to verify the claims of local authorities for planning delivery grant.

Keith Hill: In 2004–05 Planning Delivery Grant (PDG) allocations to local authorities consisted of the following elements; development control performance, plan making performance, housing delivery performance, location of Enterprise Areas.
	The development control element of the grant is based on local authority performance in determining planning applications, recorded as Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) 109. There is an annual independent audit of BVPI 109 overseen by the Audit Commission. Where there are any doubts about the reliability of the information this will be investigated by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	The plan making element of the grant is allocated on the basis of information provided by local authorities. These responses are then verified by the relevant Government Office.
	The housing delivery element of the grant is allocated on the basis of the annual average delivery of additional dwellings net of demolitions and other losses, based on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's independent analysis of returns from local authorities and Regional Planning Body data.
	The allocation on account of Enterprise Areas within an authority's boundary is a factual allocation and is based on information held by Planning and Land Use Statistics division of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	Abatements are made where local authorities' performance at appeal is poor. The information to determine this is provided by the Planning Inspectorate.
	In cases where there are concerns about the accuracy of information used for grant allocation, 10 per cent. of the allocation may be withheld, pending further investigation. Where information is subsequently shown to be fraudulent or erroneous the repayment of grant paid may be required.

Planning

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities have been found to have failed to comply with the procedures established for the award of planning delivery grant.

Keith Hill: One local authority notified the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister that the information used to allocate the authority's award for plan making performance was incorrect. This was because of an administrative error by the authority. Following this notification the authority's entitlement for plan making was re-calculated.
	In 2002–03, the most recent year for which figures are available 32 local planning authorities BVPI 109 returns were qualified by the auditor. In these cases the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has withheld 10 per cent. of any Planning Delivery Grant (PDG) allocation made on account of development control performance pending further investigation. Authorities have been asked to explain the reason for the qualification, what they have done to address the identified problem and to provide an assessment of the likely impact of the identified problem on submitted performance statistics. Authorities have been informed that this process could lead to payment, in part or in full, of any withheld grant or to my demanding repayment, in part or in full of any grant paid on account of development control performance. It would not be appropriate to name the authorities involved as the investigation is ongoing. It is anticipated that this process will be completed and final decisions taken on authorities' grant entitlement by the end of the summer.

Planning

Charles Hendry: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with representatives of local authorities on speculative land plots;
	(2)  whether his Department collects central records of Article 4 notices issued by local authorities to remove land development rights; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what his Department's policy is on speculative land plots;
	(4)  what representations he has received on speculative land plots; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: Officials of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister held a meeting with representatives of interested local authorities on 31 October last year, and another on 11 June, to discuss their concerns. The effectiveness of existing controls, such as Article 4 directions, and possible further controls were considered. Records on Article 4 directions are not held centrally.
	I refer the hon. Member to the written statement given on 19 April 2004, Official Report, column 2WS on the subdivision of agricultural land. An advice letter to Chief Planning Officers was also issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on that day.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received a number of letters on this topic. They relate mainly to the unsightly visual consequences of the subdivision of fields.

Regional Assemblies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2004, Official Report, column 366W, on regional assemblies, what the total cost of the entertainment of stakeholders, journalists and other non-governmental individuals undertaken as part of the 'Your Say' information campaign on elected regional assemblies is; and what the value is of each transaction made under the budget allotted to other expenses.

Nick Raynsford: I will write to the hon. Member once the information is collated and I will make a copy of the letter available in the Library of the House.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carers

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of proposals for paying a wage for carers.

Maria Eagle: The answer the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State my hon. Friend the member for Gravesham (Mr. Pond) gave my hon. Friend on 16 June 2004, Official Report, column 1019W, explained the Government's position on support for carers. We have no plans to introduce a carer's wage.

Job Seekers (Coventry)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government have taken to promote job seeking services in the constituency of Coventry, South since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: Jobcentre Plus is working with local community organisations and local employers to promote and increase job seeking services in Coventry, South. These local initiatives work alongside and add value to our national programmes like New Deal.
	The New Deal has clearly been a great success—helping well over a million people to find work nationally, including over 1,700 people in Coventry, South. We are building on this foundation of success, opening up more opportunities for people to find work. The New Deal has helped reduce youth unemployment, long-term unemployment and the number of lone parents dependent on benefits.
	The development of Jobcentre Plus is building on the high quality service already provided by social security offices and Jobcentres by delivering a single, integrated service to all people of working age, with a clear focus on work.
	Jobcentre Plus provides high quality services to employers, helping them to fill job vacancies quickly and effectively with well-prepared and motivated employees.
	Local initiatives include progress2work, helping people with drug problems to overcome them and lead healthy and productive lives and making sure that local drug treatment and local employment services are joined up effectively. The Step Up pilot programme, covering a number of wards in Coventry, South, is working to help the long-term unemployed move from benefits into work and the local Outreach service is using innovative and community based ways to help ethnic minority people overcome the barriers they face in the labour market.
	Jobcentre Plus is also working with the new Arena Development to ensure that the 3,500 new job opportunities it is creating are being made available to local communities. For example, the Arena Jobs-bus, a feature of this partnership initiative, has visited locations in the constituency, such as St. Michaels, Canley and Westwood to bring information on the jobs available to peoples doorsteps.
	Liaison with local employers has resulted in the establishment of the Construction Employment Unit. Based at Tile Hill Jobcentre Plus, it offers unemployed people the chance to work in the local construction industry and is providing paid training.
	As a result of these initiatives, the employment level in Coventry, South has risen by 11.4 per cent. since 1997 and the claimant unemployment level has dropped by 37 per cent. over the same period.

Pension Credit

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of (a) pensioners in Scotland and (b) eligible pensioners in Scotland have taken up (i) the guarantee credit and (ii) the savings credit elements of pension credit;
	(2)  how many pensioners in Scotland have taken up their entitlement to (a) the guarantee credit and (b) the savings credit elements of pension credit.

Malcolm Wicks: Reliable estimates of the number or proportion of pensioners eligible for the guarantee credit or savings credit elements of pension credit are not available for Government Office regions. Information on the numbers of people in Scotland receiving guarantee credit and savings credit at 31 May 2004 is given in the table.
	
		Pension credit recipients in Scotland: 31 May 2004
		
			  All Guarantee credit only Guarantee credit and savings credit Savings credit only 
		
		
			 Households 259,370 71,410 139,375 48,590 
			 Individuals 309,935 86,640 158,370 64,930 
			 Individuals as a percentage of population aged 60 and over 28.8 8.1 14.7 6.0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures other than percentages are rounded to the nearest 5.
	2. Individual recipients include a small number of partners under age 60.
	3. Percentages have been calculated using the ONS mid 2002 population estimates for persons aged 60 and over living in Scotland.

Pension Credit

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the level of expenditure on pension credit in financial years (a) 2004–05, (b) 2005–06 and (c) 2006–07 in (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland.

Malcolm Wicks: The available information is in the table.
	
		
			£ million 
		
		
			 Pension Credit(15) 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 
			 Great Britain(16) 5,973 6,337 6,795 
			 Scotland(17) 596 632 695 
		
	
	(15) Figures have been rounded to the nearest million.
	(16) Figures are for Great Britain, and are consistent with Budget 2004 forecasts to 2005–06. Figures for 2006–07 are projections consistent with the long term projections published at Budget 2004, and assume the continuation of current policy. Information for Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Office.
	(17) Figures for Scotland are derived from information used to inform the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, 2004, and are not explicitly forecast. The figures assume that the future proportion of expenditure attributable to Scotland is the same as for minimum income guarantee in 2002–03, although it is likely that the changes associated with pension credit do not have a uniform impact across Great Britain.

Pension Service

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions why Mr. G. Waghorn of Ashburton has not received retirement pension since 25 March; and for what reason no reply has been sent to his letters to the Pension Service.

Chris Pond: Following the hon. Gentleman's letter to the Pension Service dated 1 June the matter has been resolved. The Pension Service wrote to the hon. Member on 24 June with a full explanation of the circumstances in this case.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Council (Russia)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's response to the raids of 21 May on the offices of the British Council in Russia; what requests the Government has received from the Russian authorities in relation to the (a) current and (b) future operations of the British Council in Russia; and what documentation the Government (i) has submitted and (ii) will be submitting to the Russian authorities.

Bill Rammell: The Government views with concern the recent actions taken by the Russian Ministry of the Interior in respect of the British Council's operations in Russia. We have made these concerns clear to the Russian authorities at all levels.
	The Russian Ministry of the Interior has requested the provision of accounting documentation in relation to the teaching and examination activities of the British Council. In response, we submitted a Diplomatic Note, including a financial annex, which provided information about the British Council and its work in Russia to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 17 June.
	We have proposed that this issue be resolved through early signature of a Cultural Centres Agreement between the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation. A draft agreement was in fact reached in 2001, since when we have been waiting for a decision from the Russian Government to proceed with signature. Once this Agreement comes into effect, we believe all questions about the British Council's status and operations in Russia can be rapidly resolved.

Cyprus

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the offer to return land from the Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus to the Cyprus Government; which area was involved; what size the area is; and whether the Ministry of Defence was involved in the discussions.

Denis MacShane: All aspects of the Government's decision to invite the UN Secretary-General to include part of the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) in his proposals for territorial adjustment, as part of his overall settlement plan, were communicated to the House by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary in his statements on 25 February 2003, Official Report, columns 13–14WS and 1 April 2004 Official Report, columns 107–10WS. The offer comprised approximately half of the SBAs and was mainly arable land. This was set out in the published final version of the Annan Plan. As the Foreign Secretary made clear to the House in his written statement on 26 April 2004, Official Report, columns 44–46WS, the UK's territorial offer was an integral part of the Annan Plan itself. Both were rendered null and void by the outcome of the referenda in Cyprus. But the Government would look favourably at renewing the offer in the event that the Annan Plan were picked up again as the basis for a future settlement.

EU Constitution

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the effect of the inclusion of Article III-157(3) in the final text of the EU Constitution.

Denis MacShane: Article III-157 (3) of the draft Constitutional Treaty requires that any proposal in the field of energy that is primarily fiscal in nature must be agreed by unanimity in the Council. This is consistent with the Government's commitment to ensure that unanimity is retained for tax matters decided at the EU level, as set out in the White Paper on the intergovernmental conference (Cm5934).

EU Presidency

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will publish the presidency proposals to the European intergovernmental conference documents (a) CIG 79/04 and (b) 80/04.

Denis MacShane: We have placed these documents in the Library of the House, and they are also available on the presidency's website: www.eu2004.ie They are, however, entirely superseded by the subsequent presidency document CIG 86/04 which is likewise in the Library of the House and on the presidency website.

Indonesia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the arrests of Malik Mahmud and Zaini Abdullah on the activities of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Indonesia; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: On 15 June Swedish police arrested Malik Mahmud and Zaini Abdullah under suspicion of crimes violating international law, but released them on 18 June after the judge determined that there was not enough evidence to lay charges. We do not know if the arrests have had an impact on the activities of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). With our EU partners we continue to urge both the Indonesian Government and the GAM to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible, as only negotiation will offer a long-term solution to the conflict in Aceh.

Indonesia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of civilians killed in Aceh since May 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: There are no official figures for the numbers of civilians killed in Aceh. Some NGOs/observers estimate the number of civilians killed to be around 1,000. The Indonesian Government's official casualty figures during the operations in Aceh since May 2003 are 2000 Free Aceh Movement casualties and 55 security forces casualties. However, all these figures are difficult to verify.

Indonesia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of Human Rights Watch's claims of extra-judicial killings, kidnapping and torture by the Indonesian Armed Forces in Aceh; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We are aware of the Human Rights Watch report (issued in December 2003), which was the result of an investigation into reports of human rights abuses from Acehnese refugees in Malaysia. We take these reports seriously. We have raised Aceh with the Indonesian Government on a number of occasions, most recently on 9 June when the British Ambassador to Indonesia raised it with the Indonesian Minister for Politics and Security.
	There continues to be reports of human rights abuses perpetrated by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian armed forces in Aceh. The Indonesian military continues to court-martial soldiers arrested on suspicion of human rights abuses. The Indonesian military are now training soldiers in human rights prior to deployment and have established a joint military and civilian police unit to investigate all shootings involving the Indonesian military.
	The security situation in towns and cities in Aceh is much improved since the Human Rights Watch report was issued. Martial law has been lifted and Aceh has been returned to civilian control. We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Aceh closely.

International Atomic Energy Agency

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposed special committee of the International Atomic Energy Agency dedicated to safeguards verification, following the G-8 agreement at the Sea Island summit on nuclear safeguards and proliferation controls; and what additional resources the United Kingdom has earmarked in support of the proposed committee.

Denis MacShane: At the Sea Island summit, the G-8 agreed to work together to establish a Special Committee of the Board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which would be tasked to provide advice on safeguards and verification. The Government believe that such a committee could play a valuable role in investigating possible ways of strengthening the capability of the IAEA to ensure that nations are compliant with their safeguards obligations. The establishment of such a committee is a decision for the IAEA board, and the UK will play an active role in negotiations on its mandate and funding. A decision on the allocation of UK resources will be made once these negotiations are complete.

Israel

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the (a) conditions and (b) practices in prison facilities in (i) Israel and (ii) Israeli controlled territories; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not carried out an assessment of the conditions and practices in Israeli prison facilities. However, various NGOs, the Israeli state comptroller and the ICRC have. The ICRC regularly visits prisons and raises issues with the Israeli Government: further details of the work of ICRC can be found on their website at www.icrc.org.
	Consular staff regularly visit British citizens who are in Israeli prisons. Where the UK has humanitarian and human rights concerns we raise them with the Israeli Government. We did so in the specific case of Mordechai Vanunu.

Iran

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with counterparts in (i) Germany and (ii) France on Iran's co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: In the weeks leading up to the meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors at which the latest Resolution on Iran was adopted, Ministers and senior officials were regularly engaged in discussion of Iran with their French and German counterparts. The Resolution itself, adopted unanimously by the IAEA Board of Governors on 18 June, was jointly drafted by senior officials of the UK, French and German Governments.
	The issue was also discussed in some depth at the recent G8 Summit at Sea Island.

United States

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his role as Chair of the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Relations with the USA.

Mike O'Brien: Details of DOP(UK/US), the ministerial committee on relations with the United States, including its membership and terms of reference, are available on the Cabinet Office website at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk and in the Library of the House.

Sudan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the UN special rapporteur on executions' statement of 13 June regarding the integration of Janjaweed members into the regular armed forces of Sudan and the Popular Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We welcome President Bashir's announcement of 18 June of his intention to disarm all outlaws, Janjaweed and armed militias in Darfur. We have consistently urged the Sudanese Government to act quickly to rein in the Janjaweed and are encouraging them to translate their recent statement into action. We have raised concern that reintegrating Janjaweed members into the regular armed forces will not help allay the fears of the affected civilians or encourage the IDPs to return home.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposals of the Government of Sudan to neutralise their Janjaweed militia and on whether that proposal is being delivered.

Chris Mullin: We welcome President Bashir's announcement of 18 June of his intention to disarm all outlaws, Janjaweed and armed militias in Darfur. We have consistently urged the Sudanese Government to act quickly to rein in the Janjaweed and are encouraging them to translate their recent statement into action.

UK Passport Holders

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK passport holders died abroad in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99, broken down by country.

Chris Mullin: British posts overseas are not necessarily notified of the death of a British passport holder. As a result the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold comprehensive details on the deaths of all British Citizens overseas during the years in question. However, our records show that we were notified of the deaths of 1,827 British Citizens in 1997–98 and of 2,020 British Citizens in 1998–99.
	To provide a break down of how many British passport holders died overseas in 1997–98 and 1998–99 by country could only be provided at disproportionate costs. However, for the 1997–98 period, the largest numbers of British Citizen deaths abroad were in Spain (405), followed by France (84) and the USA (72). For 1998–99, the largest numbers of British Citizen deaths abroad were in Spain (558), followed by Germany (265) and France (90).

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Teachers (Abuse Allegations)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what sanctions are available against individuals who falsely accuse teachers of sexual abuse;
	(2)  whether teachers found innocent of sexual abuse allegations are able to sue the complainant for damages.

David Miliband: Anyone who makes false statements in evidence in court proceedings may be liable to be charged with an offence of perjury. A pupil who makes false allegations against a teacher, or other member of school staff, may be subject to disciplinary action by the school, and exclusion may be appropriate in some circumstances. Teachers also have the same right as anyone else to sue for damages for defamation.

Bicton College

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans his Department has to encourage the Learning and Skills Council to pay all funding owing to Bicton College.

Alan Johnson: We have recently agreed to add £130 million to the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC's) budget to enable allocations for 2004–05 to be kept on track for all Further Education colleges that are performing to target. The details and timings of payments from the LSC to colleges are operational matters and the responsibility of the LSC. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Bicton College

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support the Learning and Skills Council is giving to the management of Bicton College in achieving its full funding entitlement.

Alan Johnson: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Allocating funding to individual colleges and determining the level of support for colleges' managers to assist them achieve agreed plans is an operational matter and the responsibility of the LSC. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Civil Service (Relocation)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many civil servants and what percentage of the total civil service workforce in his Department will be relocated over the next five years (a) outside the M25, (b) to the west Midlands and (c) to Staffordshire.

Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave on Tuesday 22 June regarding the outcomes of the Lyons Review.
	I am pleased to report that my Department has a good record on location outside the south east, with the majority (70 per cent.) of posts in DfES and its partners already outside London and the south east. My Department made proposals, contained in the Lyons Report, to review the locations of our non-departmental public bodies in London. We will also look at the scope for relocation of our own functions as part of our departmental change programme.

Dyslexia

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undiagnosed dyslexic children he estimates there are in Oxfordshire.

David Miliband: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Education Bodies (Staffing)

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the full-time equivalent headcount of the (a) Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, (b) Higher Education Statistics Agency, (c) Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, (d) Learning and Skills Council, (e) University for Industry and (f) Learn Direct was in each year since 1997; and how much funding was allocated to each body in each year.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is provided as follows.
	The Learning and Skills Council became operational in 2001 and University for Industry in 1999.
	The Higher Education Statistics Agency is a non-profit making company funded from the publicly funded HE institutions in the UK. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is a company limited by guarantee and registered charity funded by a capitation fee from institutions, by applicant fees and by marketing services for higher education. They do not directly receive any public funding.
	Information for the University for Industry includes head office and regional staff engaged with the learndirect Information and Advice Service (IAS). UfI also contracts out IAS services to three companies, but these are not included. 
	
		Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)
		
			  Funding (£ million) Full-time equivalent staff numbers 
		
		
			 1997–98 32.6 n/a 
			 1998–99 54.8 n/a 
			 1999–2000 58.3 n/a 
			 2000–01 59.7 n/a 
			 2001–02 71.2 n/a 
			 2002–03 77.8 578 
			 2003–04 81.7 525 
			 2004–05 135.8 522 
		
	
	
		Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
		
			  Full-time equivalent staff numbers 
		
		
			 1997/98 35 
			 1998/99 38 
			 1999/2000 41 
			 2000/01 41 
			 2001/02 44 
			 2002/03 44 
			 2003/04 45 
		
	
	
		Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
		
			  Full-time equivalent staff numbers 
		
		
			 1997/98 301 
			 1998/99 300 
			 1999/2000 310 
			 2000/01 317 
			 2001/02 336 
			 2002/03 359 
			 2003/04 320 
		
	
	
		Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
		
			  Funding (£ million) Full-time equivalent staff numbers 
		
		
			 2001/02 5,391.3 4,427 
			 2002/03 7,475.9 4,592 
			 2003/04 8,366.7 4,057 
			 2004/05 8,692.0 3,947 
		
	
	
		University for Industry (UfI)
		
			  Funding (£ million) Full-time equivalent staff numbers 
		
		
			 1999/2000 41.8 97 
			 2000/01 58.2 194 
			 2001/02 56.7 261 
			 2002/03 50.2 309 
			 2003/04 47.0 354 
			 2004/05 44.0 356 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Funding figures from 1997–98 to 2002–03 are final expenditure in each year. 2003–04 covers latest forecast expenditure and 2004–05 latest planned expenditure.
	2. Information is for financial years (April to March) apart from HESA and UCAS which operate on academic years (August to July).
	3. For QCA, full-time equivalent staff numbers are not available before 2002–03.
	4. Full-time equivalent staff numbers for HESA, UCAS and UfI are the average for the year. For UCAS, 2002/03 and 2003/04 figures are staff in post as at June each year.
	5. Full-time equivalent staff numbers for QCA and LSC are staff in post at 31 March each year and 31 May in 2004–05.

Education Costs (London)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost of education was per pupil in each London borough in the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Miliband: The information requested is contained in the following table:
	
		Net current expenditure per pupil in 2002–03 -- £
		
			 LEA name Primary education Secondary education 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,350 4,510 
			 Barnet 3,160 3,960 
			 Bexley 2,850 3,460 
			 Brent 3,230 4,330 
			 Bromley 2,910 3,540 
			 Camden 4,490 5,860 
			 Croydon 3,030 3,820 
			 Ealing 3,220 4,110 
			 Enfield 3,130 4,070 
			 Greenwich 3,660 5,030 
			 Hackney 4,240 5,190 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,710 4,600 
			 Haringey 3.670 4,950 
			 Harrow 3,280 4.020 
			 Havering 2,740 3,810 
			 Hillingdon 2,790 3,840 
			 Hounslow 3,500 4,480 
			 Islington 3,720 5,540 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4,400 5,500 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 2,970 3,550 
			 Lambeth 4,010 5,370 
			 Lewisham 3.580 4,680 
			 Merton 3,650 4,280 
			 Newham 3,440 4,690 
			 Redbridge 2,910 3,840 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 3,420 4,570 
			 Southwark 4,060 5,370 
			 Sutton 2,820 3,490 
			 Tower Hamlets 4,690 5,800 
			 Waltham Forest 3,340 4,320 
			 Wandsworth 3,740 2,660 
			 Westminster 4,290 5,410 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The financial data is taken from local education authorities' Section 52 Outturn Statements submitted to the DfES. Section 52 is collected at local education authority level and as such the figures are provided for all London LEAs. Data is subject to change by the LEA. Cash figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Expenditure per pupil includes expenditure within schools and also that incurred centrally by the LEA. Figures also include an estimated apportionment of LEA expenditure based on pupil numbers—this is due to the change in the way data was collected. Categories were aligned with the Consistent Financial Reporting framework and the spending by LEAs was no longer split by school sector.
	3. Pupil data are drawn from the Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.

Free Learning (Adults)

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many adults he expects to (a) be eligible for and (b) undertake free learning to help them achieve a level 2 qualification.

Ivan Lewis: We estimate that up to 9.4 million people may be potentially eligible for the new level 2 entitlement to free tuition that we announced in our Skills Strategy White Paper, "21st Century Skills". This is the number of people, of working age, who are in the workforce or economically inactive and who lack a foundation of employability skills equivalent to a full level 2 NVQ or five good GCSEs.
	From September 2004 the level 2 entitlement will be trialled as an integral part of a coherent offer of support for unskilled and low-skilled adults in the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) north east and south east regions. We will use the regional trials to assess demand for and take up of this offer, and this will inform how we manage its introduction nationally. This prioritisation of the needs of unskilled and low skilled adults will contribute to the Department's ambition to reduce the number of adults who lack a level 2 qualification by 40 per cent. by 2010.

Healthy Eating

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what analysis his Department has carried out of the impact of healthy eating on children's behaviour.

Stephen Twigg: The Secretary of State for Education and Skills has not carried out analysis of the impact of healthy eating on children's behaviour.

Higher Education

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time undergraduate students were in higher education in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) under 25, (ii) 25 to 29, (iii) 30 to 34, (iv) 35 to 39, (v) 40 to 44, (vi) 50 to 54, (vii) 55 to 59, (viii) 60 to 64, (ix) 65 to 69 and (x) 70 years or above age groups.

Alan Johnson: The available information is given in the table.
	
		Table 1: Full-time undergraduate students at English HE and FE institutions, 1997/98 to 2002/03
		
			 Age 1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03(18) 
		
		
			 Under 25 716,405 732,485 741,235 750,040 767,225 795,055 
			 25 to 29 66,315 62,115 56,415 53,315 52,640 54,175 
			 30 to 34 38,055 35,935 32,400 31,035 30,910 31,630 
			 35 to 39 25,365 24,325 22,525 22,110 23,315 24,505 
			 40 to 44 14,510 13,910 13,110 13,175 14,160 15,475 
			 45 to 49 7,605 7,130 6,400 6,260 6,815 7,410 
			 50 to 54 3,340 3,115 2,815 2,845 3,020 3,185 
			 55 to 59 1,075 1,055 915 870 970 1,195 
			 60 to 64 525 490 470 450 435 440 
			 65 to 69 240 245 220 200 240 240 
			 70 and over 295 180 155 135 140 160 
			 Unknown 2,810 950 750 470 410 365 
			 Total 876,540 881,940 877,410 880,910 900,285 933,840 
		
	
	(18) Based upon 2001/02 figures for HE in FE institutions as figures for 2002/03 are not yet available.
	Note:
	Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and Learning Skills Council (LSC)
	
		Table 2: Part-time undergraduate students at English HE and FE institutions, 1997/98 to 2002/03
		
			 Age 1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 2002/031 
		
		
			 Under 25 70,175 73,260 76,000 81,410 82,020 89,180 
			 25 to 29 72,325 73,060 70,265 70,370 66,980 72,065 
			 30 to 34 73,475 75,685 75,010 75,330 73,785 77,920 
			 35 to 39 66,220 69,710 71,485 74,965 76,345 80,435 
			 40 to 44 51,150 53,870 55,990 59,250 62,235 66,605 
			 45 to 49 39,020 39,265 39,930 41,535 43,535 46,700 
			 50 to 54 25,770 27,435 28,535 29,925 30,520 30,480 
			 55 to 59 13,070 13,735 14,575 15,835 16,830 19,030 
			 60 to 64 11,005 11,005 10,930 11,135 10,960 11,070 
			 65 to 69 9,150 8,830 8,620 8,660 8,650 8,320 
			 70 and over 9,335 9,355 8,955 9,625 9,805 9,710 
			 Unknown 9,415 7,185 7,260 8,115 7,300 9,025 
			 Total 450,115 462,400 467,560 486,150 488,970 520,535 
		
	
	(19) Based upon 2001/02 figures for HE in FE institutions as figures for 2002/03 are not yet available.
	Note:
	Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and Learning Skills Council (LSC).

Land-based Education

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans his Department has to support colleges involved in the land-based industries.

Alan Johnson: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As a result of the 2002 Spending Review, total funding for the further education sector is set to rise by over £1 billion in the three years up to 2005–06, when compared to 2002–03. It is for the LSC to agree funding and plans with individual colleges, including those involved in the land-based industries, based on consideration of priorities and the needs of learners and employers.

Land-based Education

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what financial support his Department provides to over-19 year olds engaged in full-time land-based education programmes at further education colleges.

Alan Johnson: My Department makes available Learner Support Funds for students of all ages, via the Learning and Skills Council, to meet the assessed needs of students in all programmes. The Learning and Skills Council also makes a specific allocation of funds to colleges providing for land based and art and design students for their residential costs. The latest figures we hold show that £1.9 million was spent on these for students of 19+ in the academic year 2002–03.

Learning and Skills Councils

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance on criteria for selection he has provided to local learning and skills councils for the provision of free learning for any adult who does not have skills for employability to help them achieve a level 2 qualification; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: DfES officials are working in partnership with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to introduce the commitment announced in the White Paper "21st Century Skills" to help unskilled and low skilled people achieve a first level 2 qualification. The entitlement to free tuition for a first level 2 qualification is part of a coherent offer of support being trialled in the LSC's north east and south east regions from September 2004.
	DfES have agreed with National LSC a design framework for the trials, setting out the basis on which they will operate, including eligibility. The trial regions are issuing guidance at a local level based on this framework. I am arranging for a copy of the framework to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Parliamentary Questions

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria he uses when deciding which parliamentary questions should be referred to the Learning and Skills Council; and how many days after receipt of a parliamentary question the Learning and Skills Council is required to provide a reply.

Ivan Lewis: Parliamentary questions which request factual information arising from decisions taken by the Learning and Skills Council in the course of its operations are referred to the LSC Chief Executive, asking him to write to the hon. Member concerned. The LSC aims to respond within 10 working days of the publication of answers in Hansard. A copy of the Chief Executive's reply is placed in the House Library.

Public Law

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on how his Department is implementing ethnic monitoring in public law proceedings.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for Education and Skills collects data on the legal status and ethnic origin of looked-after children. The data provided in the following table are a snapshot of the number of looked-after children at 31 March 2003 and a breakdown of their ethnic origin.
	
		Number of children looked after at 31 March 2003 by legal status and ethnic origin1, 2
		
			  All children1,3 White Mixed Asian or Asian British Black or Black British Other ethnic groups 
		
		
			 All children1, 3 60,800 49,200 4,700 1,400 4,200 1,300 
			
			 Care orders 39,600 33,000 3,400 760 1,900 480 
			 Interim care orders 10,200 8,300 890 270 560 160 
			 Full care orders 29,300 24,700 2,500 490 1,300 320 
			
			 Voluntary agreement(23) 18,900 14,500 1,200 520 2,100 680 
			
			 Freed for adoption 1,900 1,700 170 10 10 10 
			
			 On remand, committed for trial, or detained 250 180 — 0 40 — 
			
			 Detained for child protection 220 140 60 0 20 0 
		
	
	(20) Figures in this table exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements.
	(21) Figures over 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 100. Figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced by '—'. All other figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	(22) Figures for 'All children' are based on the CLA100. All other figures are derived from the SSDA903 sample. As a result, sum of columns may not agree with totals.
	(23) Under S20CA 1989.
	The information provided is derived from the SSDA903 and CLA100 returns. The SSDA903 is a statistical return completed by all local authorities with social services responsibilities in England for one-third of all looked-after children. The CLA100 is an annual return providing aggregate data on the numbers of children looked after by each authority on 31 March.
	The data provided in the table give an indication of the number of children by ethnic origin involved in public law proceedings.

Pupil Funding (Wigan)

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding was spent per pupil in Wigan in each of the last seven years.

David Miliband: The Department does not collect the information in the way it has been asked for. However, the following table gives a breakdown of the available data:
	
		Net Current Expenditure -- £
		
			  Pre-primary education Primary education Pre-primary and primary Secondary education Special 
		
		
			 1996–97 n/a n/a 1,760 2,490 11,410 
			 1997–98 n/a n/a 1,750 2,550 12,400 
			 1998–99 n/a n/a 1,920 2,750 13,640 
			 1999–2000 11,440 2,050 2,090 2,810 15,250 
			 2000–01 7,850 2,460 2,480 3,000 10,170 
			 2001–02 35,350 2,630 2,740 3,310 14,790 
			 2002–03 — 2,860 — 3,610 — 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The financial data is taken from Wigan LEA's Section 52 Outturn Statement submitted to the DfES from 1999–2000 onwards and the ODPM's RO1 statement previously. Expenditure was not distinguished between pre-primary and primary sectors until the inception of the Section 52 outturn statement in 1999–2000. 1999–2000 figures reflect the return of GM schools to local authority maintenance.
	2. The outturn 2002–03 tables captured the data in a fundamentally different way to the previous years. Categories were aligned with the Consistent Financial Reporting framework and the spending by LEAs was no longer split by school sector. Consequently the unit costs per pupil in 2002–03 are not strictly comparable with earlier years as they include an apportionment of LEA expenditure based on pupil numbers. 2002–03 data is subject to change by the LEA. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	3. Net current expenditure (NCE) includes expenditure within schools and also that incurred centrally by the LEA.
	4. The NCE per pupil figures for pre-primary and primary relate the net current expenditure (after recharges) in the pre-primary sector and maintained primary schools to the total number of financial year pupils who are educated in the maintained nursery and primary schools sector.
	5. The NCE per pupil figures for secondary relate the net current expenditure (after recharges) in maintained secondary schools to the total number of financial year pupils who are educated in the maintained secondary schools sector.
	6. The NCE per pupil figures for special schools relate the net current expenditure (after recharges) in maintained special schools to the total number of financial year pupils who are educated in the maintained special schools sector.
	7. The variations that appear under the pre-primary sector and special school sector have arisen because the LEA scored items within specific areas differently between 2000–01 and 2001–02. The items fall within specific areas such as premises related, supplies and services, and third party payments; and under special schools the specific areas are employees and premises related expenditure. However, the overall total expenditure for all sectors within the specific areas does not reflect similar substantial differences between the years.
	8. Pupil data are drawn from the Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.

Residential Bursaries (Low Income Earners)

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans his Department has to provide residential bursaries for low income earners at colleges.

Alan Johnson: My Department plans to continue to make funding available for residential bursaries, and for support with lodgings and travel costs, for students on full-time courses. This is paid through the Learning and Skills Council and our national delivery agent Manchester city council. The amount of support is assessed against individual financial circumstances.

School Exclusions

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children permanently excluded from schools are diagnosed dyslexic.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally. However the number of pupils permanently excluded with special educational needs is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary, secondary and special schools1,2: number of pupils permanently excluded with special educational needs (SEN) -- 2002/03 (Provisional)3,4,5
		
			  Number of exclusions Percentage of all permanent exclusions(29) Percentage of school population(30) 
		
		
			 Pupils with SEN 6,170 66 0.45 
			 of which:
			 Pupils with statements of SEN 1,030 11 0.43 
			 SEN pupils without statements 5,140 55 0.46 
			 Pupils with no SEN 3,120 34 0.05 
		
	
	Notes
	(24) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(25) Includes both maintained and non-maintained special schools.
	(26) Provisional figures are subject to revision.
	(27) Based on numbers confirmed by local education authorities due to incomplete school data returns.
	(28) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	(29) The number of permanent exclusions by school type expressed as a percentage of the total number of permanent exclusions across all schools.
	(30) The number of excluded pupils expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of the school population. Excludes dually registered pupils.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

School Transport

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list, for each of the last five years, the cost per pupil of school transport for each English local education authority with a wholly selective admissions system, together with the average for their statistical neighbours.

David Miliband: holding answer 16 June 2004
	The information requested is contained within the following table:
	
		
			 LEAs with a selective admissions system 1998–99  1999–2000 
			 LEA number LEA name Cost per pupil (£) Average for statistical neighbours (£) Cost per pupil (£) Average for statistical neighbours (£) 
		
		
			 303 Bexley 40 38 41 41 
			 319 Sutton 47 35 38 36 
			 358 Trafford 56 42 48 41 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 116 93 85 91 
			 871 Slough 85 37 69 34 
			 880 Torbay 56 61 55 48 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 88 32 45 36 
			 886 Kent 113 82 86 72 
			 887 Medway 80 38 63 38 
			 925 Lincolnshire 109 99 110 96 
		
	
	
		
			 LEAs with a selective admissions system 2000–01  2001–02  2002–03 
			 LEA number LEA name Cost per pupil (£) Average for statistical neighbours (£) Cost per pupil (£) Average for statistical neighbours (£) Cost per pupil (£) Average for statistical neighbours (£) 
		
		
			 303 Bexley 51 48 30 51 30 60 
			 319 Sutton 44 47 44 51 61 66 
			 358 Trafford 57 46 68 50 87 64 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 133 99 135 107 137 125 
			 871 Slough 65 40 79 42 88 57 
			 880 Torbay 62 57 66 55 84 73 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 47 47 55 46 74 62 
			 886 Kent 101 81 97 88 123 100 
			 887 Medway 62 38 65 39 70 54 
			 925 Lincolnshire 124 103 135 111 172 127 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The financial data are taken from LEAs' section 52 outturn statement submitted to the DfES from 1999–2000 onwards and the ODPM's RO1 statement previously. 2002–03 data are subject to change by the LEA.
	2. The cost of home to school transport includes the cost of public transport, contract hire or the use of authority vehicles in transporting pupils to school under section 509 of the Education Act 1996.
	3. Wholly selective areas for grammar school ballots purposes are those which the Department has calculated that 25 per cent. or more of the maintained secondary school population attend maintained grammar schools.
	4 Figures include all expenditure by the local authority on school transport. This includes the pre-primary, primary, secondary and special school sectors. The unit cost is calculated by dividing the sum of the net expenditure in these sectors by the total number of pupils educated in LEA maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools.
	5. The statistical neighbours categorisations are based upon the classifications developed by Ofsted. The calculation of statistical neighbours is concerned with finding, for each LEA, other LEAs with the most similar values of a given set of variables that describe LEA contexts. The average for a LEA's statistical neighbours is calculated using the sum of the 10 statistically "closest' neighbours net expenditure divided by the total number of pupils educated in these 10 LEAs.
	6. Pupil data are drawn from the Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.

School Transport (London)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of home to school transport in Greater London was, broken down by local education authority, was in each of the last five years.

David Miliband: The information requested is contained in the following table:
	
		Cost of home to school/college transport in Greater London -- £000
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 
			 LEA name Total transport expenditure Transport related income Net current expenditure on transport Total transport expenditure Transport related income Net current expenditure on transport 
		
		
			 City of London 0 0 0 76 0 76 
			 Camden 1,588 0 1,588 2,935 0 2,935 
			 Greenwich 1,923 0 1,923 2,196 0 2,196 
			 Hackney 2,410 0 2,410 0 0 0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,238 0 1,238 1,459 0 1,459 
			 Islington 1,354 0 1,354 1,449 0 1,449 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 502 13 489 820 125 695 
			 Lambeth 2,784 0 2,784 2,750 0 2,750 
			 Lewisham 2,024 0 2,024 2,391 0 2,391 
			 Southwark 2,038 0 2,038 2,688 0 2,688 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,289 0 2,289 2,187 0 2,187 
			 Wandsworth 1,514 0 1,514 1,756 0 1,756 
			 Westminster 1,819 0 1,819 1,718 0 1,718 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,296 0 1,296 1,492 0 1,492 
			 Barnet 2,256 0 2,256 2,460 0 2,460 
			 Bexley 1,449 0 1,449 1,661 0 1,661 
			 Brent 2,251 0 2,251 2,681 0 2,681 
			 Bromley 2,298 0 2,298 2,582 0 2,582 
			 Croydon 1,966 0 1,966 2,249 0 2,249 
			 Ealing 3,098 318 2,780 3,250 306 2,944 
			 Enfield 1,956 0 1,956 3,760 0 3,760 
			 Haringey 1,834 0 1,834 2,002 0 2,002 
			 Harrow 1,477 0 1,477 1,682 0 1,682 
			 Havering 702 25 677 877 26 851 
			 Hillingdon 2,155 0 2,155 2,618 0 2,618 
			 Hounslow 1,669 102 1,567 1,807 0 1,807 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 749 67 682 1,228 18 1,210 
			 Merton 1,073 0 1,073 1,191 0 1,191 
			 Newham 1,834 0 1,834 2,235 0 2,235 
			 Redbridge 2,161 0 2,161 2,224 0 2,224 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 817 0 817 1,047 0 1,047 
			 Sutton 891 0 891 1,079 0 1,079 
			 Waltham Forest 1,386 0 1,386 1,834 0 1,834 
		
	
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 
			 LEA name Total transport expenditure Transport related income Net current expenditure on transport Total transport expenditure Transport related income Net current expenditure on transport 
		
		
			 City of London 60 0 60 49 0 49 
			 Camden 2,030 0 2,030 2,168 0 2,168 
			 Greenwich 2,300 0 2,300 2,382 0 2,382 
			 Hackney 2,097 915 1,182 1,147 0 1,147 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,699 0 1,699 1,649 0 1,649 
			 Islington 1,499 15 1,484 1,663 0 1,663 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 821 3 818 1,056 8 1,048 
			 Lambeth 3,027 0 3,027 2,566 114 2,453 
			 Lewisham 2,416 0 2,416 2,721 0 2,721 
			 Southwark 2,730 0 2,730 2,385 0 2,385 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,478 0 2,478 132 0 132 
			 Wandsworth 2,234 2 2,232 2,002 157 1,844 
			 Westminster 2,446 0 2,446 1,919 0 1,919 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,063 0 2,063 1,984 30 1,954 
			 Barnet 2,700 0 2,700 2,827 0 2,827 
			 Bexley 2,116 0 2,116 1,242 0 1,242 
			 Brent 2,835 0 2,835 2,831 0 2,831 
			 Bromley 2,712 0 2,712 2,952 0 2,952 
			 Croydon 3,290 0 3,290 4,404 0 4,404 
			 Ealing 3,450 366 3,084 3,750 286 3,464 
			 Enfield 3,603 0 3,603 3,932 0 3,932 
			 Haringey 2,116 0 2,116 4,697 0 4,697 
			 Harrow 1,817 0 1,817 2,195 0 2,195 
			 Havering 989 34 955 1,067 14 1,054 
			 Hillingdon 2,742 31 2,712 3,298 0 3,298 
			 Hounslow 1,958 0 1,958 2,149 0 2,149 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 1,276 16 1,260 1,467 12 1,455 
			 Merton 1,255 0 1,255 1,466 0 1,466 
			 Newham 2,323 0 2,323 2,489 0 2,489 
			 Redbridge 2,498 0 2,498 2,571 0 2,571 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sutton 1,267 0 1,267 1,287 0 1,287 
			 Waltham Forest 2,415 0 2,415 2,327 2 2,324 
		
	
	
		
			  2002–03 
			 LEA name Total transport expenditure Transport related income Net current expenditure on transport 
		
		
			 City of London 62 0 62 
			 Camden 2,346 0 2,346 
			 Greenwich 2,677 11 2,666 
			 Hackney 1,585 516 1,070 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,599 0 1,599 
			 Islington 2,271 170 2,101 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,039 0 1,039 
			 Lambeth 1,988 0 1,988 
			 Lewisham 3,279 0 3,279 
			 South wark 2,325 0 2,325 
			 Tower Hamlets 743 0 743 
			 Wandsworth 2,520 0 2,519 
			 Westminster 1,636 0 1,636 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,467 0 2,467 
			 Barnet 4,119 0 4,119 
			 Bexley 1,268 0 1,268 
			 Brent 2,987 0 2,987 
			 Bromley 1,248 0 1,248 
			 Croydon 5,600 1,244 4,356 
			 Ealing 4,140 2,221 1,919 
			 Enfield 3,780 14 3,766 
			 Haringey 2,905 6 2,899 
			 Harrow 2,565 0 2,565 
			 Havering 1,261 3 1,258 
			 Hillingdon 3,706 0 3,706 
			 Hounslow 2,435 0 2,435 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 1,582 0 1,582 
			 Merton 1,496 0 1,496 
			 Newham 2,893 0 2,893 
			 Redbridge 3,020 0 3,020 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 1,148 0 1,148 
			 Sutton 1,865 0 1,865 
			 Waltham Forest 2,884 0 2,884 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The financial data is taken from LEAs' Section 52 Outturn Statements submitted to the DfES from 1998–99 onwards and the ODPM's R01 statement before then. 2002–03 data is subject to change by the LEA.
	2. The cost of home to school/college transport includes the cost of public transport, contract hire or the vehicles in transporting pupils/students to school/college under section 509 of the Education Act 1996.
	3. Figures include all expenditure by the local authority on transport. This includes the pre-primary, education out of school and continuing education sectors.
	4. Some substantial variations between years have occurred. We are not able to offer a detailed analysis for the reasons because LEAs do not offer a breakdown of inconsistencies across the years.
	5. ConfED/DfES conducted a joint survey in 2003 of LEA transport expenditure and policies. The data should enable LEAs to compare their policies and costs with other similar authorities.

Special Educational Needs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money each London local education authority allocated to special educational needs in 2003–04.

David Miliband: holding answer 22 June 2004
	The information requested is contained within the following table:
	
		
			 LEA Name SEN element of schools budget SEN element of LEA budget ISB for special schools Total LEA allocation for SEN 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,415,405 1,038,157 3,511,757 7,965,319 
			 Barnet 8,966,384 2,051,850 4,667,260 15,685,494 
			 Bexley 10,492,000 1,151,000 4,408,000 16,051,000 
			 Brent 4,703,000 1,658,000 6,681,000 13,042,000 
			 Bromley 9,678,975 1,317,421 5,355,522 16,351,918 
			 Camden 3,795,237 1,995,432 5,671,120 11,461,789 
			 City of London 325,400 24,600 0 350,000 
			 Croydon 11,577,289 1,201,514 6,741,427 19,520,230 
			 Ealing 6,819,100 1,766,200 7,474,100 16,059,400 
			 Enfield 8,317,459 1,921,638 7,181,880 17,420,977 
			 Greenwich 3,869,720 2,358,667 8,591,880 14,820,267 
			 Hackney 5,601,630 1,207,140 4,875,710 11,684,480 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,284,820 943,536 4,081,583 8,309,939 
			 Haringey 6,104,197 1,718,832 7,076,703 14,899,732 
			 Harrow 5,566,926 1,168,314 3,452,329 10,187,569 
			 Havering 2,271,871 1,123,993 2,841,273 6,237,137 
			 Hillingdon 6,760,266 1,471,209 6,304,268 14,535,743 
			 Hounslow 4,733,691 1,503,933 5,579,654 11,817,278 
			 Islington 3,330,827 1,117,401 4,787,838 9,236,066 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,240,876 899,021 2,665,570 4,805,467 
			 Kingston upon Thames 3,219,418 998,903 3,049,500 7,267,821 
			 Lambeth 5,393,809 715,465 7,286,586 13,395,860 
			 Lewisham 7,695,727 914,614 7,870,513 16,480,854 
			 Merton 3,561,140 1,027,587 2,794,557 7,383,284 
			 Newham 8,136,800 1,698,500 2,846,171 12,681,471 
			 Redbridge 2,674,691 2,041,380 7,305,279 12,021,350 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3,518,000 837,100 1,925,700 6,280,800 
			 Southwark 3,518,004 2,471,458 8,135,808 14,125,270 
			 Sutton 4,986,508 1,146,591 3,507,720 9,640,819 
			 Tower Hamlets 5,524,796 1,757,881 6,624,526 13,907,203 
			 Waltham Forest -204,404 497,728 11,417,430 11,710,754 
			 Wandsworth -2,581,522 1,494,927 14,466,990 13,380,395 
			 Westminster 4,328,000 1,292,800 1,824,000 7,444,800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data are taken from local education authorities' 2003–04 Section 52 Budget statements submitted to the DfES. 2003–04 data is subject to change by the LEA.
	2. The SEN element of the schools budget includes the provision for pupils with statements, specialist support for statemented and non-statemented pupils, fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad, collaboration and integration and inter-authority recoupment. This is recorded in lines 1.1.1 to 1.1.6 in table 1 of the budget statement.
	3. The SEN element of the LEA budget includes educational psychology service/assessments and statementing, LEA functions in relation to child protection, health service partnerships/special medical attention, parent partnership, guidance and information and promoting good practice and collaboration. This is recorded in line 2.2.6 of table 1 of the budget statement.
	4. The SEN element of the schools budget is recorded in line 1.0.1 of table 1 of the budget statement.

Truancy

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money has been spent by (a) central Government and (b) local education authorities in England and Wales on advertising to deter truancy in each of the past four years for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 24 June 2004
	The information is as follows:
	(a) The Department has spent approximately £223,000 to fund centrally a number of initiatives to raise awareness of truancy issues, including a poster and leaflet campaign aimed at parents. As part of this campaign, a flyer was sent to 9 million recipients of child benefit.
	The full amount breaks down as £113,000 in 2002–03 and £110,000 in 2003–04.
	These promotional activities supported a wide range of work by the Department, local education authorities and schools aimed at improving school attendance levels. One such initiative is the twice yearly national truancy sweeps which can generate much coverage in the local press.
	(b) This information is not collected centrally.

Truancy

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the truancy figures were for each year since 1997, broken down by (a) gender and (b) ethnicity; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Truancy figures for schools in England are collected annually from schools and each school provides one set of figures. Information on the characteristics of individual pupils such as gender and ethnicity cannot be derived from these data.

Vocational Education

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is being provided to support the 14 to 16 flexibility initiative to bring vocational education to school children.

Ivan Lewis: The Department will provide the 'Increased Flexibility for 14 to 16 Year Olds' programme with £58 million direct funding to partnerships in 2004–06. Indirect funding to provide a wide range of training and support will be up to £43 million in the same period.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Emergency Calls

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many 999 emergency calls were made in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years, broken down by emergency service.

Angela Smith: The information requested for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade is detailed in the following table. I have asked the Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to write to the hon. Lady with the comparable figures for Her Majesty's Coastguard.
	
		
			 Calendar/ financial year Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Police Service of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Fire Brigade 
		
		
			 2003–04 80,234 189,385 60,908 
			 2002–03 72,732 201,057 53,453 
			 2001–02 73,432 238,882 63,594 
			 2000–01 71,383 n/a 55,890 
			 1999–2000 68,370 n/a 48,254 
			 1998–99 66,751 n/a 45,162 
			 1997–98 63,139 n/a 47,754 
			 1996–97 62,106 n/a 42,820 
			 1995–96 59,379 n/a 38,338 
			 1994–95 53,851 n/a 30,326 
		
	
	n/a =not available.
	Notes:
	1. Northern Ireland Fire Brigade and the Police Service for Northern Ireland records 999 calls on a calendar year basis.
	2. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service data shows the number of emergency incidents responded to.
	3. The Police Service for Northern Ireland do not have ready access to statistics for the past 10 years.

Acute Hospital Provision (Tyrone and Fermanagh)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will (a) take steps to stop the implementation of the decision to remove acute hospital provision from County Tyrone pending a review and (b) instruct the Health Minister to work with stakeholders to develop a solution which (i) meets the needs of the people of Tyrone and Fermanagh and (ii) is sustainable.

Angela Smith: I remain of the opinion that the "Developing Better Services" model represents the best configuration of hospital services, both for Northern Ireland in general and for the people of the south west.
	The Department, in conjunction with the Western Health and Social Services Board and Sperrin Lakeland Trust, will continue to work closely with stakeholders in relation to both the implementation of the new service model and the ongoing provision of services.

Autism

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on autism respite provision for those living in the Crumlin and Antrim region.

Angela Smith: There is a three bedded unit in Randalstown providing respite to children in the Antrim/Ballymena area, and an eight bedded unit in Ballymena, which both offer residential respite to approximately 40 children, including those with autism. There is a waiting list for both units.
	Depending on the complexity of need, there is a family-based scheme offering a respite service to children throughout Homefirst Trust.
	There is also a range of respite options for adults with a learning disability, including autism:
	(i) A dedicated three bedded unit at Oriel Lodge, Antrim.
	(ii) Family based respite.
	(iii) Specifically commissioned respite in nursing/residential homes.
	The Trust provides respite for 70 families within the Antrim/Ballymena area.

Autism

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to provide a specialist province-wide centre for autism respite care.

Angela Smith: The development of services for children with autism is a departmental priority and £0.5 million has been made available for this purpose in 2004–05. It is important, however, that services are locally accessible. Consequently there are no plans to provide a specialist province wide centre for autism respite.

Bullying

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of bullying of children were reported in the last three years (a) at primary schools and (b) in post-primary education in Northern Ireland, broken down by (i) board area and (ii) category of bullying; and whether the incident took place on public transport to or from school in each case.

Barry Gardiner: The information sought is not available. The Department of Education and the Education and Library Boards do not collect information on the number or nature of reported incidents of bullying.
	In 2001 the Department issued "Pastoral Care in Schools: Promoting Positive Behaviour", which contained advice on tackling bullying and developing an anti-bullying policy. In November 2002 a good practice anti-bullying guide for post-primary schools was distributed. The Department in partnership with key interests in the statutory and voluntary sectors were involved in an advisory capacity in the preparation of that guide. The Department is also committed to producing a similar guide for primary schools in due course in consultation with statutory and voluntary agencies. In November 2003 the Parents Advice Centre (NI), with the Department's support, produced a booklet for parents giving advice on how to identify the signs of bullying and what parents can do to tackle the situation.

Care Strategy

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress being made on the development of a primary care strategy framework document.

Angela Smith: On 7 June 2004 I launched 'Caring For People Beyond Tomorrow', a consultation document which sets out a strategic framework for the development of primary health and social care services over the next 20 years. The consultation period will end on 8 October 2004.

Child Psychiatrists

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the current waiting time is for children who have been referred to a consultant child psychiatrist, broken down by health board.

Angela Smith: Information obtained from Health Trusts in Northern Ireland indicates that, at the 31 March 20041, 1,394 children were awaiting assessment by child and adolescent psychiatry services.
	
		Number of children awaiting their first outpatient appointment in the child and adolescent psychiatry specialty (including those who have cancelled or did not attend a previous appointment) in Northern Ireland.
		
			  Months waiting 
			 Provider trust 0 to two Three to 11 12 to 17 18 to 23 24 plus Total 
		
		
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 46 67 12 2 1 128 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust 65 40 2 — — 107 
			 Foyle HSS Trust(31) 52 56 15 5 27 155 
			 Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust 27 95 35 11 9 177 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 214 166 — — — 380 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Community HSS Trust 69 22 3 — — 94 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 17 60 — — — 77 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 26 28 21 3 — 78 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 10 7 — — — 17 
			 The Royal Group of Hospital HSS Trust(32) — — — — — 181 
			 Northern Ireland total 526 541 88 21 37 1,394 
		
	
	(31) Foyle HSS Trust figures refer to patients waiting at 31 May 2004. Data for all other Trusts refers to patients waiting at 31 March 2004.
	2 Royal Group of Hospital HSS Trust is unable to specify numbers waiting in each time band.
	Source:
	HPSS Trusts

Civil Servants (Industrial Action)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the latest average waiting time for drivers to receive a date for an MoT test is.

Angela Smith: The average maximum waiting times at 24 June 2004 for vehicle tests at the six test centres not closed by industrial action was fourteen weeks. An average maximum waiting time for the remaining centres cannot be accurately calculated as the industrial action period distorts the figures.

Civil Servants (Industrial Action)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pensioners have had pension payment disrupted as a result of industrial action at (a) the Department of Education and (b) the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Angela Smith: The Department of Education is responsible for providing a payroll service to some 14,500 teacher pensioners, who are paid monthly. Existing monthly pensioners were paid their May pension on time and it is expected June pensions will also be paid on time.
	A small number of lump sum payments to new pensioners were delayed during the industrial action (less than 20). These have now been processed.
	The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is responsible for providing a payroll service to some 24,500 HPSS pensioners, the majority of whom are paid monthly. A small minority, some 300, are paid weekly. Existing monthly pensioners were paid their May pension on time and it is expected June pensions will also be paid on time. Weekly HPSS pensioners have been paid in advance.
	A small number of lump sum payments to new pensioners were delayed during the industrial action. The majority of these have now been processed. A small number remain to be cleared, (approximately 20) however arrangements are being made to have manual payments of lump sum issued through the Department's Finance Accounts Branch to any of these pensioners who may be suffering financial hardship.

Civil Servants (Industrial Action)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many booked (a) MoT tests and (b) driving tests have been cancelled as result of the current industrial action by civil servants;
	(2)  how many MOT tests have been cancelled in Northern Ireland because of industrial action in the Civil Service.

Angela Smith: At 24 June 2004, the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency had cancelled 43,532 vehicle tests and 5,791 practical driving tests in the period since continuous industrial action started on 17 May 2004.

Civil Servants (Industrial Action)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications from motorists in Northern Ireland to tax their vehicles have been delayed as a result of the current industrial action by civil servants.

Angela Smith: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland do not have figures to show the number of applications that have been delayed as a result of the current industrial action. In overall terms, there has been an 11 per cent. reduction in the number of licences issued in May 2004 when compared to May 2003. Figures for June are not available.

Civil Servants (Industrial Action)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many teachers in Northern Ireland have had salary payments delayed as a result of the current industrial action by civil servants; how many teachers are awaiting overdue payments; and what the total value is of salary payments that are overdue.

Barry Gardiner: The information sought by the hon. Member is not presently available in the format requested. However, the vast majority of permanent teachers (over 19,000) received payment on time last month. For temporary teachers, we have had to make emergency payments at a flat rate for hours worked during April and May and, again, the vast majority of teachers in this category have received those emergency payments. My Department hopes to make all necessary adjustments to salaries as quickly as possible once strike action comes to an end.

Driving Tests

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of each category of driving tests were carried out in each month from January to June in each year since 2001.

Angela Smith: The numbers of practical driving tests carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency in each month from January 2001 to June 2004 are set out in the following tables.
	The figures for the current month are for the period to 24 June.
	
		Car and light goods vehicle
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 January 3,138 3,788 3,626 3,836 
			 February 2,315 3,150 3,211 3,564 
			 March 2,555 3,468 3,649 4,197 
			 April 3,361 3,358 3,869 3,515 
			 May 3,949 3,518 3,937 2,283 
			 June 3,639 2,812 3,818 1,135 
		
	
	
		Motorcycle
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 January 155 257 322 118 
			 February 107 213 269 97 
			 March 153 249 405 103 
			 April 238 351 88 155 
			 May 359 328 144 92 
			 June 347 446 191 94 
		
	
	
		Large goods vehicle
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 January 195 227 157 180 
			 February 214 204 160 147 
			 March 191 203 195 176 
			 April 159 187 157 147 
			 May 196 202 175 75 
			 June 209 165 168 0 
		
	
	
		Passenger-carrying vehicle/omnibus
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 January 15 43 37 51 
			 February 21 44 18 28 
			 March 30 60 30 43 
			 April 46 23 41 40 
			 May 49 63 24 13 
			 June 50 59 29 31 
		
	
	
		Car and trailer
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 January 32 32 28 35 
			 February 30 36 21 18 
			 March 26 23 8 38 
			 April 20 30 28 35 
			 May 20 42 22 0 
			 June 27 24 35 0

Dual Carriageway

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many miles of dual carriageway per thousand square miles there are in Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Mr. Gregory Campbell, dated June 2004
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about how many miles of dual carriageway per thousand square miles there are in Northern Ireland. I have been asked to reply as the issue raised falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive.
	I can advise you that in Northern Ireland there are 31.04 route miles of dual carriageway per thousand square miles of land area. This includes the length of dual carriageway that is classified as motorway I hope this information is helpful.

Enforcement Notices

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times, in the last five years, the issuing of an enforcement notice has led to the demolition of all or part of a building.

Angela Smith: The issuing of an enforcement notice has led to the demolition of all or part of a building on three occasions during the last five years.

Farm Subsidies

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in respect of each category of farm payment, how many payments, and of what value, are overdue to farmers in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: The European Commission requirement is that scheme expenditure should be paid by 30 June 2004. Against that requirement, no payments are currently overdue.

Farming

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to halt the decline in the number of farmers in (a) dairy farming and (b) pig production in the province.

Ian Pearson: The decline in the numbers of farmers involved in dairying and pig production in Northern Ireland is part of a long-term trend and is similar to what is happening in most developed countries.
	The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has adopted a range of measures to strengthen the underlying competitiveness and efficiency of those in the industry. This includes the Vision Action Plan which aims to help farmers adapt to change and measures to increase the use of information communications technology, to improve animal health in Northern Ireland and programs to deliver relevant research and development.

Fertility Treatment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the age of females has a bearing on where they are placed on waiting lists for fertility treatment.

Angela Smith: The age of females has no bearing on where they are placed on waiting lists for fertility treatment. However, two types of fertility treatment—In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)—are only available to couples where the female partner has not passed her 38th birthday.

Fertility Treatment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on age restrictions on types of fertility treatment available on the NHS in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The interim sub-fertility service commenced on 17 December 2001, at the Royal Group of Hospitals. Access to the service is regulated by the criteria recommended by an expert group. In line with these criteria two types of fertility treatment—In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)—are only available to couples where the female partner has not passed her 38th birthday. In addition, to qualify for Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET), the woman's embryos must have been frozen before her 38th birthday. There are no age restrictions with regard to the male partner.

GCSE Grades

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pupils in Northern Ireland obtained (a) fewer than five GCSEs at A*–C grades and (b) no A–C grades in each year since 1990.

Barry Gardiner: The information requested is only available from 1991–92 and is as follows:
	
		
			  Pupils obtaining fewer than 5 GCSE's at grades A*-C Pupils obtaining no GCSE's at grades A*-C 
			 Academic Year Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 1991–92 13,241 55.7 6,362 26.7 
			 1992–93 11,959 51.8 5,138 22.2 
			 1993–94 12,236 51.5 5,431 22.8 
			 1994–95 12,293 48.7 5,991 23.7 
			 1995–96 12,772 48.4 5,888 22.3 
			 1996–97 11,948 46.5 5,430 21.1 
			 1997–98 11,418 45.2 n/a n/a 
			 1998–99 11,191 44.0 5,103 20.1 
			 1999–2000 10,930 43.1 5,108 20.1 
			 2000–01 11,279 43.3 5,302 20.4 
			 2001–02 10,678 41.3 4,934 19.1 
			 2002–03 10,760 41.2 4,907 18.8

Grammar Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of appeals by grammar schools for reduction in intake numbers were due to the number of lower graded pupils applying in each of the last three years.

Barry Gardiner: There were no requests of this type. However, a small number of grammar schools requested approval under Article 14 (3) of the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 to refuse admission where they were of the opinion that admission of the child to the school would be detrimental to the educational interests of the child. The number of these requests in each of the last three years is as follows and had no impact on the approved admissions number of the school:
	
		
			 School year Number of requests 
		
		
			 2004–05 4 
			 2003–04 4 
			 2002–03 1

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to improve waiting times for dermatology assessment across the Eastern Board catchment area.

Angela Smith: The Eastern Health and Social Services Board is currently examining the potential for the development of community-based clinics to facilitate earlier assessment and treatment for a range of dermatological conditions. Proposals have also been received and approved by the Board for additional outpatient and inpatient activity in a range of specialties, including dermatology.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress regarding the centralisation of dermatology services in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: There are no plans to centralise general dermatology services in Northern Ireland. The Eastern Health and Social Services Board, however, has set up a working group to take forward the recommendations contained in its review of dermatology services, which is intended to concentrate specialist dermatology services and training at the Belfast City Hospital. Work on this is ongoing.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) new consultant dermatologist posts and (b) specialist dermatology clinics have been created in the Province in the past five years.

Angela Smith: There have been no new consultant dermatologist posts created in the Province in the past five years. A total of three new specialist dermatology clinics have been set up in the past five years: a melanoma screening clinic in Craigavon Area hospital; and two clinics at the Royal Victoria hospital for general and contact dermatitis.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which hospitals provide joint antenatal diabetic clinics with both diabetologists and obstetricians.

Angela Smith: Joint antenatal diabetic clinics with both diabetologists and obstetricians are provided in Craigavon Area Hospital, the Royal Maternity Hospital, Ulster Hospital and Altnagelvin Hospital.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many general practitioner practices provide (a) diabetes, (b) asthma, (c) well-woman, (d) well-man, (e) warfarin and (f) lipid clinics.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce a formal clinical network for asthma in the Province.

Angela Smith: The Department intends to undertake a review of respiratory services, including services for asthma suffers. The issue of clinical networks providing integrated care in the primary and secondary care settings will be considered as part of the review.

Jarvis Contract

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions Jarvis has failed to meet its contractual obligations with regard to the completion of education public-private partnerships.

Ian Pearson: Jarvis has not been awarded any contracts in education public-private partnerships in Northern Ireland to date.

MOT Tests

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicle MOT tests were carried out in each month from January to June in each year since 2001.

Angela Smith: The numbers of full tests and retests carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency in each month from January to June for each year since 2001 are as set out as follows. The figures include all vehicle categories for which roadworthiness certificates are required. The figures for June 2004 are not yet available.
	
		
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 
			  Full test Retest Full test Retest Full test Retest Full test Retest 
		
		
			 January 37,867 6,754 37,828 6,534 39,813 8,361 42,912 10,110 
			 February 37,601 7,080 37,684 7,086 40,629 9,008 42,936 9,446 
			 March 45,698 8,611 41,937 8,031 41,914 10,106 46,079 10,153 
			 April 39,627 7,723 40,733 7,468 37,755 8,682 40,759 8,096 
			 May 41,102 7,961 43,101 8,628 41,284 8,981 28,963 6,310 
			 June 41,939 8,016 39,555 7,316 43,808 9,893 — — 
		
	
	Note:
	Retest figures may include multiple retests on a single vehicle and may not include vehicles that fail the full test but are not subsequently presented for retest.

Multiple Limb Disability

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what specialist medical facilities exist to support children and adults with congenital multiple limb disability.

Angela Smith: There is a wide range of services for children and adults with congenital limb deficiency both at Musgrave Park Hospital and at other hospitals throughout Northern Ireland.
	A small number of orthopaedic surgeons specialise in care for children with limb deficiency, and work collaboratively with plastic surgeons on these issues.
	In the Ulster Hospital there is a Congenital Hand Clinic for patients with upper limb deficiency and the Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine from Musgrave Park Hospital attends this clinic quarterly.
	The Prosthetic Service at Musgrave Park Hospital includes a multi-disciplinary team who assist with the provision, rehabilitation and maintenance of artificial limbs for both adults and children.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to establish a specialist clinic for myalgic encephalomyelitis sufferers in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: There are no plans at present to establish a specialist clinic for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) sufferers in Northern Ireland.
	Clinicians and patients alike often face difficulties as a result of the lack of specific disease markers for ME and a clear understanding of the cause and disease process. The focus on treatment here is centred therefore on close co-operation between patients, carers and the relevant health and social-care professionals, which is essential for ensuring that sufferers obtain the most suitable treatment for their particular needs.
	In addition, Belfast City hospital continues to provide a Chronic Fatigue Service, which is delivered by a multi-disciplinary team that adopts a holistic approach to the treatment of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME.

Planning Permission

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times the Planning Service has advised applicants who have been granted planning permission but exceeded their authorised dimensions to submit retrospective planning permission applications in the last five years.

Angela Smith: Planning Service does not record separate information on retrospective planning applications, as these applications are dealt with in the same way as standard planning applications. As this information is not routinely collected, it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost to the Department.

Research Capability Fund

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the reasons were for the decision to adopt a different procedure to that in England for the allocation of funds under the Research Capability Fund to Northern Ireland's universities.

Barry Gardiner: Decisions in relation to university research funding are entirely a matter for the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL). There are many differences between the research funding model adopted by Northern Ireland and that implemented by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), due to the different needs and circumstances of Northern Ireland. In general, HEFCE does not provide recurrent research funding to university departments rated lower than four in the Research Assessment Exercise. The Research Capability Fund in England was allocated, therefore, to a limited range of departments rated 3a. In Northern Ireland, to help maintain a broad base of research activity across the two universities, all departments rated 3a already receive recurrent funding from the Department for Employment and Learning.
	The Research Capability Fund, as introduced by DEL has two distinct strands. One strand, in keeping with the policy aim of maintaining a broad research base, funded some university departments rated 3b. A second strand, in keeping with priority 1 of the Regional Innovation Strategy, "think/create/innovate", is to be used to support, selectively, those areas relevant to the needs of the Northern Ireland economy; there is no comparable strand in England.

Residential Child Care

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the residential child care facilities operating in Northern Ireland; and how many (a) qualified and (b) non-qualified social workers are based at each facility.

Angela Smith: The number of qualified and non-qualified social workers based at each residential child care facility at 31 March 2004, is as follows.
	
		Number of qualified and non-qualified social workers by residential child care facility: 31 March 2004
		
			  Qualified social worker Non-qualified social worker 
		
		
			 Western Board (2004)   
			 Woodlands 6 7 
			 Coneywarren 3 6 
			 Brindley House 6 4 
			 Arleston Park(32) 0 7 
			 Beltany House(32) 0 0 
			 Rossneal 5 8 
			 The Cottages(32) 0 0 
			 Scroggy Road 3 6 
			 103 Chapel Road 3 4 
			 84 Chapel Road 4 2 
			 Racecourse Road 3 8 
			 Harberton House 6 9 
			 Upper Galliagh 6 7 
			 Total 45 68 
			
			 Southern Board (2004)   
			 Bocombra 9 4 
			 Cedar Grove Centre 10 3 
			 Woodside Adolescent Centre 8 6 
			 Edenvilla 6 5 
			 Drumglass Lodge 9 6 
			 Willowgrove Respite+1 1 8 
			 67 The Grange(32) 1 7 
			 Cherrygrove 10 6 
			 Orana Respite Centre(32) 4 15 
			 Oaklands 0 11 
			 Total 58 71 
			
			 Northern Board (2004)   
			 Dhu Varren House 4 9 
			 4 Prince's Gardens 5 1 
			 Ardrath House 5 7 
			 Bailee Adolescent Unit 9 3 
			 Carnview 3 8 
			 Whitehaven(32) 7 10 
			 Cherry Lodge(32) 0 0 
			 Linden 4 4 
			 Hugomont(32) 2 0 
			 Total 39 42 
			
			 Eastern Board (2004)   
			 444 Antrim Road 9 3 
			 70 Fortwilliam Park 7 3 
			 Glandore Avenue 7 4 
			 Somerton Road 10 1 
			 Glenmona (Aisling) 7 4 
			 Glenmona (Donard) 10 7 
			 Glenmona (Slane) 8 4 
			 Glenmona (Slemish) 10 2 
			 Craigmore 6 10 
			 Marmion 4 7 
			 Beechfield(32) 2 20 
			 William Street 7 3 
			 Flaxfield 8 1 
			 Appletree 3 8 
			 Hillsborough Road 5 4 
			 Glenmore 3 2 
			 Lindsay(32) 4 15 
			 College Park Avenue 6 3 
			 Bawnmore 4 8 
			 North Road 4 8 
			 Lakewood (Shamrock) 7 11 
			 Lakewood (Oaklands) 5 5 
			 Lakewood (Ashgrove) 6 4 
			 Lakewood (Linden) 7 6 
			 Meadow Lodge 2 9 
			 30–32 Dakota Avenue 3 5 
			 The Children's House (Barnardos) 7 3 
			 Total 161 160 
		
	
	(32) These children's homes provide specialised services to children and young people with learning disabilities. Therefore, they also employ staff with nursing qualifications.
	These figures are not whole time equivalents.

Retirement Pension

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to change the current regulations regarding the commencement day of a person's retirement pension.

John Spellar: The rules governing when payment of a person's retirement pension commences are set out in Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987. There are no plans to change these rules.

School Lockers

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make funding available to schools in Northern Ireland which do not provide individual lockers for each post-primary pupil.

Barry Gardiner: No. The Department of Education's School Building Handbook provides for either cloakroom space or moveable lockers in schools. It is a matter for individual school authorities to decide what provision should be made at their schools. The issue is, therefore, essentially a matter of local financial management from within the devolved budgets already made available to schools.

School Lockers

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the post-primary schools which do not provide individual lockers for pupils.

Barry Gardiner: The Department's School Building Handbook provides for either cloakroom or moveable lockers in schools but it is a matter for the relevant school authorities to decide what provision should be made at a particular school. The information requested is not held by the Department, the Education and Library Boards or the Council for Catholic Maintained School. Such information would have to be sought directly from the schools concerned and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Sexual Offences

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the answer of 27 May 2004, Official Report, column 1850W, on sexual offences, on what date the Government expect to conclude their consideration of the need for a review of the sexual offences legislation in Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: No date has yet been set.

Sexual Offences

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which sections of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 do not apply to Northern Ireland; and what steps he is taking to bring the law in line with that in England and Wales.

John Spellar: Section 142 (2) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 details the offences in the Act which extend to Northern Ireland. An overview of these offences was set out in my reply to the hon. Gentleman on 27 May 2004, Official Report, column 1850W. We have not yet made final decisions on a review of the remainder of the body of law on sex offences in Northern Ireland.

Smoking

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the prevalence of smoking has been among teenagers over the past two decades, broken down by gender.

Angela Smith: The Continuous Household Survey provides the estimated prevalence of smoking among the population in Northern Ireland aged 16 and over. The following table shows the smoking prevalence for teenagers aged 16–19 from 1983 to 2002–03. It should be noted that these figures are based on around 400 people in each year. Therefore, the percentages will fluctuate year-on-year.
	
		Prevalence of cigarette smoking among teenagers aged 16–19 in Northern Ireland, 1983 to 2002–03 -- Cigarette smokers (percentage)
		
			  Sex 
			  All Males Females 
		
		
			 1983 25 31 19 
			 1984 22 27 17 
			 1986 31 33 30 
			 1988 23 25 20 
			 1990–91 26 24 27 
			 1992–93 24 24 24 
			 1994–95 24 20 27 
			 1996–97 23 23 23 
			 1998–99 20 15 24 
			 2000–01 26 23 27 
			 2002–03 31 33 28 
		
	
	Source:
	Continuous Household Survey 1983 to 2002–03.

Smoking

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment has been made of the merits of instituting a ban on smoking in public places in Northern Ireland; and what reports he has received of the effects of the ban on smoking in public places in the Republic of Ireland.

Angela Smith: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety commissioned research into public attitudes to smoking prohibitions/restrictions as part of the commitment to implement the Five Year Tobacco Action Plan, launched in July 2003. While 70 per cent. said they would support a ban on indoor public places, support for smoke-free provision in various settings ranged from 82 per cent. in hospitals and 53 per cent. in cafes and restaurants to 34 per cent. in pubs and bars. The Department intends to repeat the survey later in the year.
	The ban in the Republic of Ireland was introduced on 29 March and it would be premature at this stage to make a definitive assessment of its impact. However, early indications suggest that the ban is working well with a high level of compliance.

Student Numbers

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to remove the Maximum Aggregate Student Number cap on total full time undergraduate student numbers at Northern Ireland's universities.

Barry Gardiner: Since 1999–2000 the Maximum Student Number (MaSN) cap has been raised to allow for 2,560 more full-time home and European Union undergraduate at Queen's University and the University of Ulster.
	My Department keeps the situation under constant review but at present there are no plans to remove the cap.

Student Numbers

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received regarding the (a) removal and (b) relaxation of the maximum aggregate student number limit on total undergraduate student numbers at Northern Ireland's universities.

Barry Gardiner: The Department for Employment and Learning has received representations periodically from Queen's University, the University of Ulster and other interested parties about relaxing or removing the maximum student numbers (MaSN) cap which applies to full-time home and EU undergraduates at both Queen's and Ulster.

Teaching (Children with Learning Disabilities)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public funding has been made available for the teaching of children with learning disabilities in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: Children with learning difficulties can be educated in a variety of locations including mainstream schools, special units attached to mainstream schools or special schools.
	The Department of Education gives Education and Library Boards a block grant each year from which they fund a range of services. Within their Block Grant, Boards establish their own spending priorities and this includes their spending on special educational provision, which includes that for children with learning difficulties. Funding allocations do not specify expenditure for particular types of special educational need and therefore it is not possible to identify separately the funding provided for children with learning difficulties.
	For a general statement on funding provided by the Department for special educational provision, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the written answer I gave to the hon. Gentleman the Member for Belfast, South on 28 April 2004, Official Report, column 1115W.

Transfer Test

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the smallest possible difference between the lowest A graded pupils and the top D graded pupils is in the Transfer Test.

Barry Gardiner: The difference in standard scores or quotients between the lowest A graded pupils and the top D graded pupils in the Transfer Procedure test for the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			 Grade 2003–04 Quotient 2002–03 Quotient 2001–02 Quotient 
		
		
			 Lowest As 214 215 214 
			 Highest Ds 188 190 190 
			 Difference 26 25 24

Vehicle Excise Duty (Applications)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for vehicle excise duty were processed in Northern Ireland in each month from January to June in each year since 2001.

Angela Smith: The following table shows the number of vehicle licences issued in each month, January to June from January 2001 to May 2004. The figures for June 2004 are not yet available.
	
		
			 Year January February March April May June Totals 
		
		
			 2001 86,735 88,746 86,850 91,176 89,871 91,109 534,487 
			 2002 89,985 90,885 91,215 102,347 102,794 78,885 556,111 
			 2003 99,725 98,485 95,292 98,164 97,046 108,487 597,199 
			 2004 109,000 100,417 115,256 101,281 86,265 n/a 512,219 
			 Totals 385,445 378,533 388,613 392,968 375,976 278,481 2,200,016

West Nile Virus

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what preparations have been made to deal with a potential outbreak of West Nile virus in the Province.

Angela Smith: There is no evidence at present of any cases of West Nile infection in people in Northern Ireland or the rest of the United Kingdom. The inter-departmental Regional Zoonoses Group chaired by the Chief Medical Officer is currently considering the issue in liaison with the UK Zoonoses Group on which Northern Ireland is represented. In late May 2004, the Chief Medical Officer in England published a contingency plan to protect the public's health in England in the event of a case of West Nile Virus illness being diagnosed. This will help inform preparations in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. The Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service last year recommended that those who travelled to North America defer making donations of blood for 28 days after returning from that area. The Chief Medical Officer's (DHSSPS) "Update" publication has also drawn West Nile Virus to the attention of GPs to raise awareness when considering a diagnosis. Information on West Nile Virus is also included on the DHSSPS website.
	Much has been learned from our planning and preparations to deal with infections such as SARS and Influenza, which will enable us to deal with other infections as they emerge.